Julie Faulkner's Blog

How to Proof a Yearbook Spread

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:04:52 GMT

How to Proof a Yearbook Spread

Proofing a yearbook spread is one of those tasks everyone knows is important, but no one really teaches you how to do well. And because the book is permanent, the pressure to “get it right” can feel intense — especially when you’re juggling deadlines, student editors, and dozens of moving parts.

Whether you’re trying to avoid common yearbook mistakes , teach students how to proofread effectively, or build a reliable final deadline checklist , having a clear system makes all the difference. These five steps are the exact process I use with my own staff to catch layout issues, name errors, grammar problems, and factual mistakes before the book goes to print.

Here are my Fast Five tips for how to proof a yearbook spread.

1. Print the Spread (Yes, Really)

Screens lie. Printers don’t.

Printing your spread helps you catch:

layout issues
spacing problems
image quality concerns
color inconsistencies
awkward text wrapping
elements that look “fine” on screen but not on paper

Plus, it’s easier for students to mark changes, circle errors, and annotate directly on the page. This is one of the most skipped yearbook proofing steps , and it makes a huge difference.

Pro Tip: Place printed pages in stations and use my yearbook proofreading spreads task cards to pinpoint certain issues, make the process more engaging, and ensure nothing gets missed!

2. Check Every Name — Then Check Again

Names are the #1 source of adviser panic and the #1 thing people search for when they get their book.

Have students:

compare names to the most up‑to‑date rosters (by grade!)
check for duplicates
verify spelling
confirm captions match the correct people
look for missing names in group photos, portrait pages, ANYWHERE! (Personal worst nightmare that came true: leaving "placeholders" for names like question marks or unknowns instead of the students' names.)

This is the most important part of any yearbook final deadline checklist . If you only do one thing, do this.

3. Use Multiple Proofers (Three Sets of Eyes Minimum)

No one — not even your best editor — catches everything.

I require three different staffers to proofread every spread. Each one catches something new:

typos
spacing issues
repeated photos
missing details
grammar errors
weird formatting

And don’t stop with students. Get stakeholders involved.
Football page? Let the coach see it.
Band page? Ask the director.
Clubs? Email the sponsor.

Stakeholders catch factual errors your staff would never know to look for. I know you want to keep the pages a surprise or a secret until distribution day, but I've learned over the years that perfectly proofread pages are much better than surprise pages with surprise mistakes!

Here's a quick video of me explaining my three-times/three-sets-of-eyes proofreading process.

4. Fact‑Check Everything: Dates, Scores, Stats, and Details

This is where credibility lives.

Students should verify:

game scores
event dates
spellings of award names
titles and positions
timelines
quotes (if possible)

This is one of the most‑searched yearbook mistakes to avoid , and it’s the easiest to fix before the book goes to print.

5. Do a Final “Fresh Eyes” Pass — Days Before It’s Due

The biggest mistake advisers make? Proofing the night before the deadline.

Build in time for a fresh‑eyes pass :

someone who hasn’t seen the spread
someone from another team
a teacher down the hall
an office aide
even a parent volunteer

Fresh eyes catch what tired eyes miss — especially when you’re deep in deadline season.

And yes, spelling and grammar matter . They’re part of your book’s professionalism and credibility. A clean, polished spread reflects the quality of your program. Build that skill all year long with my yearbook layouts proofreading worksheets .

Closing: Proofing Is a System, Not a Sprint

Proofing a yearbook spread doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a clear process — print, check names, use multiple proofers, fact‑check, and build in time for fresh eyes — you can avoid the most common yearbook mistakes , reduce deadline stress, and submit pages you’re proud of.

If you want to make this even easier for your staff, my Editing & Proofing Task Cards walk students through each of these steps with structure and clarity. They’re perfect for March, when everyone is tired and the details matter more than ever.

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A Better Way to Teach Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals: Logical, Sophisticated Argument Writing

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:27:23 GMT

A Better Way to Teach Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals: Logical, Sophisticated Argument Writing

Teaching claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals always brings up the same debate: should we teach a formula or avoid formulas altogether? Here’s my honest take — students need a pattern before they can write with sophistication. The issue isn’t structure itself; it’s the wrong structure.

Most students are taught to write a separate “counterclaim paragraph” right before the conclusion. I still see it being taught today; I even see it in college textbooks. Maybe in some way that structure has merit, if done well. But that's the problem, especially for middle and high school writers. For the most part, that outdated model leads to choppy reasoning, weak commentary, and writing that feels separated instead of intentional. It also doesn’t reflect what state assessments reward or what AP Lang actually values.

My method rooted in logic, nuance, and sophisticated argument writing.

I teach claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals as a package inside each body paragraph, where the counterclaim directly challenges the logic of the claim and the rebuttal strengthens it. This structure helps students see the architecture of argument writing clearly — and once they internalize the pattern, they can move into more flexible, advanced writing with confidence.

In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I teach Claims, Counterclaim, Rebuttals, why this approach works, and how tools like my Claim/Counterclaim Imposter Game and Claims, Counterclaim, Rebuttals Teaching Pack help students master the logic behind strong, sophisticated argument writing.

1. Start With the Logic: What Makes a Counterclaim “Real”?

Most students think a counterclaim is just “the opposite side.” But that’s not enough — and it’s why their writing feels vague or disconnected.

A real counterclaim must directly respond to the logic of the claim. Not the topic. Not the general idea. The logic.

For example:

Claim: Later school start times improve academic performance by aligning with teen sleep cycles.

Logical Counterclaim: Later start times don’t improve performance if students simply stay up later, resulting in no net gain in sleep.

This counterclaim works because it challenges the reasoning behind the claim — not just the topic of school schedules.

This is the foundation of everything I teach: Claims and counterclaims are a matched set. They must speak to each other, aka "have a conversation."

2. Teach CCR as a Package — Not Three Separate Skills

I never teach claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals as isolated pieces.

Studen ts need to see them as a conversation:

The claim makes a logical argument.
The counterclaim challenges that logic.
The rebuttal explains why the claim still stands.

This is why I teach Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals inside the body paragraphs, not as a separate “counterclaim paragraph” tacked on before the conclusion.

When students learn CCR as a package, they naturally build:

stronger reasoning
clearer commentary
more sophisticated argument structure
better alignment with state test rubrics
better alignment with AP Lang expectations

And honestly? Their writing doesn't just sound smarter; it is!

3. Use the Imposter Game to Teach Logical Counterclaims

One of the biggest challenges is helping students distinguish between:

a logical counterclaim, and
a random, vague, or irrelevant one

That’s why I created the Claim/Counterclaim Imposter Game.

Each set includes:

1 claim
1 correct counterclaim
2 imposters

Students must move around the room (or work in groups) to find the correct match — and then explain:

A. Why the correct counterclaim logically refutes the claim
B. Why the impostors fail logically

This forces them to think about reasoning, not just matching opposites. It’s the perfect bridge between understanding the concept and applying it in writing.

4. Move Into Writing: How to Weave CCR Into a Body Paragraph

Once students understand the logic, I teach them how to embed CCR inside a paragraph.

Here’s the structure I model:

1. Claim

Make a clear, defensible argument.

2. Evidence

Support the claim with a specific detail, quote, or example.

3. Commentary

Explain how the evidence supports the claim.

4. Counterclaim (woven in)

Acknowledge a logical challenge to your reasoning.

5. Rebuttal

Explain why the claim still holds despite the counterclaim.

Here’s a simplified example using one of the game sets:

Claim: Student activism builds civic responsibility.
Counterclaim: However, some argue that activism can distract students from academics and oversimplify complex issues.
Rebuttal: While activism may become a distraction, structured activism actually deepens students’ understanding of issues and strengthens their ability to balance responsibilities.

Of course, students can "move" this formula around if they see fit, especially if they are strong writers. I tell those stronger writers that I never want them to feel like they are in a box. However, this is a very good start; it's comfortable for weaker writers; and it's good for everyone on timed writing who feels anxious about getting words on a page. This structure mirrors what AP Lang rewards: commentary, reasoning, and complexity.

5. Connect to AP Lang (Or other EOC/State Writing Assessments): Why This Method Works for the Rubric

AP Lang does not require a counterclaim. But it absolutely rewards:

acknowledging limitations
addressing alternative perspectives
showing nuance
demonstrating sophistication

A well‑placed counterclaim inside a paragraph does all of that.

When students learn to integrate counterclaims as part of their reasoning — not as a separate paragraph — they naturally build:

line of reasoning
commentary
to‑what‑extent thinking
complexity

This is exactly what earns higher scores in the Evidence & Commentary and Sophistication rows.

My Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals method prepares students for that level of writing long before they ever take AP.

Conclusion

Want to Teach CCR This Way? Here Are the Tools I Use. Everything I described above is built into my Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals Teaching Pack , which includes:

direct instruction
guided notes
real‑world examples
guided practice
graphic organizers
independent practice
a reusable analysis tool
and now the Claim/Counterclaim Imposter Game

It’s the full system I use to teach Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals in a logical, modern way that aligns with what students actually need to succeed.

Watch a version of this post on Facebook or Teachers Pay Teachers . And see more AP Lang ideas on my Instagram Highlight .

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Why Paragraph of the Week Works — And How to Use It in Your Classroom

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 21:36:30 GMT

Why Paragraph of the Week Works — And How to Use It in Your Classroom

If you’ve ever stared at a stack of essays thinking, "How do I get my students to write stronger, clearer, more text‑based paragraphs?" — you’re not alone. Secondary ELA teachers everywhere are searching for practical, repeatable systems that build writing stamina without overwhelming students or teachers.

That’s exactly why I created my Paragraph of the Week program, which has become one of the most effective, teacher‑loved routines for grades 6–12. It’s predictable. It’s scaffolded. It’s standards‑aligned. And most importantly, it works.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about how Paragraph of the Week supports text‑based writing, improves standardized test performance, and helps struggling writers finally feel successful.

1. What Is Paragraph of the Week?

Paragraph of the Week is a structured, text‑based writing routine where students read a short stimulus (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, images, or informational text) and respond to a prompt using evidence.

Each week, students:

Read a short text or stimulus
Respond to a text‑based prompt
Draft, revise, and polish a single paragraph
Use a rubric and self‑reflection
Submit a complete, high‑quality constructed response

This routine mirrors the expectations of most state writing assessments, which require students to cite evidence, explain reasoning, and write clearly under time constraints.

2. Why Text‑Based Prompts Matter

Text‑based writing is now the backbone of standardized assessments — and for good reason. When students must return to a text multiple times with a purpose, comprehension deepens, and writing becomes more precise. Not to mention that for Advanced Placement testing success across all subjects, as well as being ready for the rigor needed for college-level reading and writing.

My Paragraph of the Week bundle includes:

38 original prompts
Stimuli from multiple genres
Tasks that require citing evidence
Opportunities for students to practice RACE or your preferred strategy

This means students get repeated exposure and prep to the exact skills they’ll need for high‑stakes writing tasks.

3. Why the Weekly Routine Works (The Pedagogy Behind It)

Research is clear: frequent, low‑stakes writing builds stronger writers.

Paragraph of the Week works because:

Students revisit the same piece of writing multiple times
The cognitive load stays manageable
The routine builds confidence and stamina
Revision becomes a natural part of the process
Teachers can give quick, targeted feedback

Instead of rushing through full essays, students master the building block of all writing: one strong paragraph.

4. Flexible Implementation for Any Classroom

Teachers love this system because it works in:

ELA
Science
Social studies
Intervention/RTI
Writing centers
Bell ringers
Homework
Extended class periods
Digital or paperless classrooms

My bundle includes:

Projectable prompts (PDF + PPT)
Printable + digital writer’s notebook
Daily task outline
Rubric
RACE strategy slides
Classroom poster
Editable files for easy differentiation

Whether you want a full writing workshop routine or a simple weekly warm‑up, Paragraph of the Week adapts to your schedule.

5. Real Teacher Results = Classroom Success Stories

Teachers consistently report:

Higher test scores
Stronger text‑based writing
More confident struggling writers
Better paragraph structure
Faster grading
Increased engagement

One teacher shared:
♥ “The focus on writing one good paragraph is an important building block. Too often we ask for longer pieces, and the students continue to concentrate on quantity rather than quality.”

Another said:
♥ “I’ve already seen an increase in test scores and grades. This is the most useful product I’ve purchased.”

When a routine is simple, predictable, and rooted in strong pedagogy — students thrive.

Conclusion

Building strong writers in middle and high school doesn’t require complicated programs or hours of extra grading — it requires consistent, meaningful practice with the skills that matter most. A paragraph of the week routine gives students repeated exposure to text‑based writing, evidence citation, and clear paragraph structure in a way that feels manageable for both teachers and learners. Whether you use it as a bell ringer, a writing workshop routine, or a weekly constructed response practice, this simple structure helps students grow their confidence and stamina one paragraph at a time. If you’re looking for a sustainable approach to evidence‑based writing instruction that supports all learners — from struggling writers to honors students — this routine is a powerful place to start.

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The Case for Whole Novels: How & Why You Should Teach a Full Novel in a World of Excerpts

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:58:30 GMT

The Case for Whole Novels: How and Why You Should Teach a Full Novel in a World of Excerpts

In classrooms across the country, full novel studies are quietly disappearing. Curriculum guides are slimming down, pacing calendars are tightening, and more districts are replacing whole books with short excerpts. The justification is always the same: “You can teach the same standard with a passage as you can with a novel.”

Technically, that’s true — but it’s also deeply misleading, and the cost is enormous. Students are losing the opportunity to build the very skills colleges say they’re lacking: stamina, deep comprehension, and the ability to follow complex ideas across time.

Here’s the truth: Whole novels aren’t the problem. How we teach them is.

A standards-based novel study isn’t about reading every page together or filling time with projects. It’s about intentionally designing an experience that builds stamina, deepens comprehension, and connects reading to meaningful writing and discussion. When done well, a novel study becomes the most rigorous, joyful, and transformative part of the year.

So if you’re wondering whether you’re getting the most out of your novel study — or if you’re trying to defend whole novels in a world obsessed with excerpts — this blog post is for you.

Here’s how to teach a novel so it’s worth teaching the whole thing.

1) Begin and End with Purpose: Set the Stage and Stick the Landing

A strong novel study doesn’t begin on page one. Before students ever crack the spine, they need a sense of why this story matters and how it connects to the skills they’re expected to master. And they need excitement, interest, and intrigue! Students deserve the chance to experience a full narrative arc, and that starts with intentional framing.

At the beginning, consider:

Introducing essential questions that will anchor the entire study
Previewing themes, historical context, or author background
Using short nonfiction, images, videos, or artifacts to spark curiosity
Setting expectations for stamina, note-taking, and discussion norms

One of my favorite ways to get all of this done (without the boring slideshow) is with stations. Intro stations get students up and moving while signaling novelty to them in a way that creates organic interest and buy-in. Read more about how I start a novel study here and see how I conduct stations with large class sizes here on Teachers Pay Teachers or here on Instagram in my free teaching tips video series.

At the end, stick the landing by:

Synthesizing themes and tracing how they evolved
Revisiting essential questions with deeper insight
Connecting the novel to contemporary issues or real-world implications
Ending with a culminating writing task or seminar that proves mastery

Beginning and ending with intention ensures the novel study feels cohesive, rigorous, and meaningful — not just “we read a book.”

2) Build Reading Stamina Through Structured, Purposeful, Active Reading

One of the biggest pain points educators and parents are experiencing right now is why students struggle with long-form reading. College professors are reporting that students arrive unprepared for the reading load and are unable to engage with lengthy or complex texts. This is directly tied to the rise of excerpt-driven curricula.

Whole novels uniquely build stamina — the ability to hold onto ideas, track character development, and sustain attention across chapters. Excerpts simply cannot replicate that cognitive endurance or build authentic student engagement.

And I’ve seen this firsthand.

My niece is in middle school right now, and her class is “reading” a novel — except she couldn’t even remember the title of the book when I asked her what she was studying in her ELA class. She told me they listen to audio, answer (surface-level, I presume) questions, and move on. No active reading. No discussion. No ownership. No creativity. It’s the illusion of a novel study without any benefits. Saddest. Story. Ever.

Honestly, this is exactly why some curriculum coaches believe whole novels “don’t work.” They’ve only seen them taught this way.

To build true stamina, incorporate:

A mix of independent reading, partner reading, and teacher modeling
Interactive tools like Nearpod, symbol trackers, or emoji/character puppets with prompts/questions built in
Quick writes or guided annotations of close readings that keep students mentally engaged
Regular check-ins with summarizing sketch notes that require students to recall earlier chapters
Text-based comprehension questions for use during reading that require careful reading and response (See how to make your own student workbooks for any novel study here on my IG)

As one literacy expert notes , students need exposure to whole books to learn how to “hold onto parts of the beginning of the story as the rest unfolds over time”. That’s stamina — and it’s essential for college readiness.

3) Flood the Study with Meaningful Writing Tasks and Paired Texts

If you want your novel study to be truly standards‑based, writing can’t be an afterthought. And it can’t be the “How do you feel about this character?” kind of writing that fills time but doesn’t build skill. Students need writing tasks that require analysis, argument, synthesis, and evidence — the exact skills they’ll need in high school, AP courses, college, and beyond.

This is also where paired texts become your secret weapon.

Curriculum coaches often push excerpts because they believe short texts make it easier to “hit the standards.” But pairing a full novel with high‑quality nonfiction, articles, videos, primary sources, and short research tasks actually expands your standards coverage — and proves that whole novels are not only rigorous, but deeply aligned to ELA expectations.

Whole novels teach complexity:

theme development across time
structural choices
character arcs
author craft
sustained argument and synthesis

Paired texts help students connect that complexity to the real world, to informational reading standards, and to writing tasks that matter.

Meaningful writing + paired text tasks might include:

Analytical paragraphs using text evidence from the novel
Argument essays that connect the novel to nonfiction sources
Short research projects that build background knowledge or explore themes
Rhetorical analysis of the author’s craft, structure, or choices
Synthesis writing that blends the novel with articles, speeches, or historical documents
Creative responses grounded in the text and supported with evidence

This is also where Advanced Placement and college readiness are built. Students who only write from short passages struggle to sustain arguments across longer texts — a skill essential for AP Lang, dual enrollment, and college-level reading loads. Paired texts + whole novels give them the practice they need to think deeply, write clearly, and support claims with evidence from multiple sources.

When you combine meaningful writing with intentional pairing, you’re not just teaching a novel — you’re teaching students how to read, think, and write in a world that demands depth.

4) Make Discussion the Heart of the Novel Study

One of the most common searches right now among teachers them asking how to make novel studies more engaging and community-driven. The answer is simple: discussion.

Whole novels create a shared experience — a common text that students can wrestle with, question, debate, and interpret together. This is something excerpts cannot replicate. As one curriculum leader notes , the most valuable part of reading a novel as a class is “the common project of engaging other young people in a conversation about a book that is open to multiple interpretations.”

To make discussion central:

Use book clubs or literature circles ( see my post series on book clubs here )
Host discussions at key turning points
Provide structured, text-dependent questions with task cards
Encourage students to bring their own evidence to the table
Build routines that help quieter students participate meaningfully

Discussion deepens comprehension, builds community, and helps students internalize the novel’s ideas. It’s also one of the most joyful parts of teaching literature. Read my post about effective classroom discussions here .

5) Keep Every Activity Text-Based — Even the Fun Ones

Novel studies should be fun — but they should also be rigorous. The key is to keep every activity anchored in the text. This is where you can push back against the misconception that whole novels lead to “fluffy projects.”

Text-based fun might include:

Character TikToks supported by textual evidence
Theme playlists with cited lyrics and passages
Courtroom trials where students argue from the text
Visual one-pagers that require quotes and analysis
Creative writing that mirrors the author’s style or structure

The rule is simple: If it’s not grounded in the text, it doesn’t belong in a standards-based novel study.

This approach maintains high rigor while still honoring creativity and student voice. Read more about curing “activity-itis” in this blog post .

Conclusion: Why Whole Novels Still Matter

Some argue that excerpts can teach the same standards as a full novel. And while that’s technically true, it’s incomplete. Excerpts can teach skills; novels teach endurance, synthesis, and the ability to follow extended arguments — the very skills college professors say students are lacking. Standards are the floor, not the ceiling.

Students deserve (and actually want) more than snippets. They deserve stories they can live inside, characters they can grow with, and ideas they can wrestle with over time.

 Whole novels still matter.

And when taught with intention, alignment, and depth, they prepare students not just for tests — but for the real reading demands of college, careers, and life.

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Homecoming & Spirit Week Costumes: Easy, Real-Life Outfit Ideas for Teachers

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 22:10:13 GMT

Homecoming & Spirit Week Costumes: Easy, Real-Life Outfit Ideas for Teachers

Spirit Week is one of those traditions that brings so much energy to a school—but let’s be honest, it can also be a little stressful. You want to participate, but between planning lessons, grading, and running on caffeine, the last thing most teachers want to do is spend hours (or money) on a costume. The good news? You don’t have to! With a little creativity (and what’s already in your closet), you can show up for Spirit Week in a fun, easy, low-stress way.

Here are five practical hacks for putting together easy Spirit Week outfits —with ideas for the most common dress-up days, plus plenty of inspiration you can reuse year after year.

1. Raid Your Closet First

Before you head to Amazon or the craft store, start with what you already own. So many Spirit Week theme days can be pulled off with everyday basics like jeans, a T-shirt, or pajamas - if you choose your costume correctly ;).

Career/Future Day
“Retired” = pajamas or joggers + slippers OR sometimes I wear my "happy camper" shirt because that's what I'm doing when I retire ;)
“Traveler” = souvenir tee + jeans + backpack + camera
“Yoga instructor” = leggings + messy bun
"Pro-Athelete" = sports jersey + workout pants + sneakers
"College Student" = college shirt + joggers + backpack
"Construction Worker" = Any construction company cap + branded shirt + jeans + boots
"College Graduate" = cap + gown
Decade Day
2010s = puffer vest + Ugg boots
90s = flannel + sneakers
80s = bright colors + scrunchie
70s = wide-leg pants + tee
The GOAT (who is the best) or Roman Empire (what you think about most) or Famous Person
This one was easy for me, and I use these days to let my faith shine through. For the GOAT, I made a "Jesus is the Goat" shirt. For Roman Empire Day, I wore my Philippians 4:8 "think on these things" shirt.
If famous person day comes up, I always dress like Joanna Gaines because I can wear a cap, flannel, jeans, and boots!
Teacher/Student Swap Day
Jeans with holes, flannel, Birkenstock sandals with socks
Sweatpants, black hoodie, slides with socks

2. Use What You Teach

If you’re an English teacher (like me), this one’s a no-brainer: wear a T-shirt that matches one of the books you teach, or pull inspiration straight from your bookshelf.

Favorite Book Character Day
Harry Potter = scarf + glasses
Junie B. Jones = bow + fun socks
Greg Heffley = striped tee + jeans
OR keep it simple with a book-themed shirt!
Bonus: Any character that wears pajamas ( Cat in the Hat, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie ) = total win.

3. Think Multipurpose

The best Spirit Week outfits are the ones you can recycle across multiple days. One accessory can stretch farther than you think.

Pajamas = “Retired” (Career Day) and “Favorite Book Character”
Safari hat/Green Jacket = “Safari Day” and “Career Day: Explorer”
Jersey = “Sports Day” and “College/Career Day”
Destination Shirt = "Your Future" or "Roman Empire Day"
College Shirt = "Your Future" or "Blast from the Past" or "Decades Day"
Rainboots/Rain Jacket = "Career Day - "Meteorologist" or "Gardener" or "Flower Girl"

4. Partner Up

Some days are easier (and more fun) when you pair with a friend.

Twin Day / Multiples Day → Don’t overthink it! Text your buddy: “Black leggings + gray hoodie?” Done.
Or take a creative spin: be “the four seasons” with four friends—each in everyday clothes, just accessorized with one little seasonal touch (a beanie, sunglasses, scarf, or ball cap).

5. Lean Into the Joke

Not every Spirit Week outfit has to be Pinterest-perfect. Sometimes the low-effort, tongue-in-cheek ideas are the most memorable.

Superhero Day
Invisible Man/Woman = don’t show up �� or wear camo
Clark Kent = button-down shirt with a Superman tee underneath
Wonder Woman/Superman = Wear one of the cheesy t-shirts with those superhero logos printed on them or print a shirt that says "Teachers Are Superheroes."
Favorite Character Day → Wear a name tag that says “Hello, I’m Batman.” Done.

These ideas get a laugh, require zero shopping, and remind everyone that Spirit Week should be light and fun.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, Spirit Week is about school spirit—not spending money or adding stress. The simplest outfits can still bring the biggest smiles. Use what you have, get a little creative, and don’t be afraid to lean into the fun.

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Yearbook Theme Ideas & Development: How to Choose and Build a Meaningful Theme That Tells Your School’s Story

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:22:04 GMT

Yearbook Theme Ideas & Development: How to Choose and Build a Meaningful Theme That Tells Your School’s Story

Choosing the right yearbook theme is one of the most important—and sometimes overwhelming—tasks of the year. A theme is more than a catchy phrase or clever design; it’s the meaning of your yearbook, the lens through which your school’s story is told. As an English teacher and yearbook adviser, I often explain to students that theme is the meaning of a text. In the same way, your yearbook theme gives meaning to the photos, stories, and memories captured throughout the year. The right theme not only reflects your school’s personality but also connects your student body, staff, and community to the book in a lasting way.

Below, I’m breaking down five practical steps for yearbook theme ideas and development, plus the common pitfalls to avoid along the way.

1. Start With the “Why”

Before your staff jumps into brainstorming slogans or designs, pause and consider the purpose of your theme. A theme should capture the meaning of the year. Ask yourself:

What story do we want this yearbook to tell?
What message or feeling do we want readers to walk away with?
How does this year’s book reflect our school’s personality and identity?

Remember: Your theme serves as the title of the yearbook, so it should encapsulate the year’s energy, spirit, and unique story. See my Yearbook Theme Development Teaching Pack for easy-to-use tools to get you going.

2. Generate Yearbook Theme Ideas With Guiding Questions

A blank page can feel intimidating—so give your staff some prompts to spark creativity. Consider these questions:

What words describe our school and student body?
What challenges have we faced and what triumphs have we celebrated?
Is there anything special about this year—anniversaries, milestones, or cultural events?
What makes our community unique?
What does our mascot say about us?

These conversations will help you narrow down your options and avoid themes that feel generic. For example, in 2020, we went with an "eye" theme, and it turned out to be one of my favorite covers and themes of all time - despite the worldwide pandemic that tried to shut us down! Just remember—you need at least some direction to get started, or brainstorming can spiral out of control.

3. Develop the Theme Through Words, Concepts, and Design

Once you’ve chosen a direction, bring the theme to life in every part of the book. Think beyond the cover:

Words: Headlines, divider pages, page titles, kickers, idioms, and puns.
Concepts: Sidebar stories, interviews, photo projects, special pages, and fun extras like superlatives.
Design: Shapes, graphics, and layout choices that visually reinforce the theme. For example, a theme like Rise Up could use triangular, mountain-inspired design elements. Likewise, the theme "Heartbeat of a Wildcat" will also lend itself to graphic elements like triangles and lines. A "Stand Out" theme allows for trendy cut-out images as well as thick and thin outlines around words and images. An "identity" driven theme works well to give close-up features of students exhibiting their talents. Read more on coverage at this blog post.

A strong theme should echo across every element of the book so it feels unified and intentional. Bonus: Section dividers are an excellent place to get creative and really reinforce and echo your cover! In the 2017 book shown below, our program won an award from Jostens for best spread and photograph for the guitar layout!

4. Promote and Tease the Theme All Year

Your theme isn’t just for the book itself—it’s also a marketing and community-building tool. Hint at the theme in your communications before the official reveal. Try:

Using theme-inspired taglines on posters and sales flyers.
Adding interview questions tied to your theme.
Designing staff shirts or spirit wear that tease the concept.
Make reels or videos using popular trends to grab the student body's attention.

These subtle promos build excitement and anticipation while keeping the theme alive all year long. You can even connect your theme to sales events to build suspense and excitement.

5. Avoid Common Yearbook Theme Pitfalls

Even great ideas can fall apart if you’re not careful. Watch out for these common mistakes:

Not exploring enough options. Once you’ve narrowed down choices, brainstorm deeply on at least two or three before deciding.
Letting only a few voices decide. The process should feel collaborative, with input from your staff and adviser guidance. If needed, form a committee to finalize.
Picking something too narrow or cliché. Themes that isolate one group, rely on tired references ( The Great Gatsby , Family Album), or sound like Pinterest quotes won’t hold up.
Forgetting about design. A theme might sound great in words but fall flat visually. Always test how it will look across spreads.
Not considering your budget! You might come up with some really great ideas to embellish the cover and highlight your theme, but if you don't keep the bottom line in mind first, you might end up disappointed. Set a budget of what you can spend extra (if any) per cover before you start planning, and let your publisher know (or be part of the planning conversation).

In Conclusion

Choosing and developing a yearbook theme takes time and intentional planning—but the payoff is worth it. A strong theme ties together every story, photo, and design choice, making the book more than just a collection of pages. It becomes a meaningful reflection of your school’s unique year. By starting with the “why,” asking the right questions, developing it across words and design, promoting it throughout the year, and avoiding common pitfalls, your staff can create a yearbook theme that truly tells your school’s story.

Watch a summary of this blog post on Youtube and Instagram .

Grab my Yearbook Theme Development Teaching Pack to get started today!

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Setting Routines in a Yearbook Class: Practical Solutions for Common Challenges

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 20:49:25 GMT

Setting Routines in a Yearbook Class: Practical Solutions for Common Challenges

Running a successful yearbook class means juggling deadlines, student editors, equipment, and constant content creation. Without strong classroom routines in place from the beginning of the year, it’s easy for chaos to take over. Whether you're a new yearbook adviser or a seasoned pro looking to streamline your workflow, setting up clear, consistent procedures is the key to staying organized and hitting production deadlines. From checking out cameras to submitting page proofs, these five routines solve real problems that every student journalism or yearbook program faces—and they’ll help your staff stay productive, accountable, and focused all year long.

1. Bell Ringers: Starting Class Focused and On Task

Problem : Students arrive at different times, often chatting or getting distracted, wasting precious class minutes.

Routine: Use a consistent bell ringer activity (e.g., a short design quiz, current event prompt related to school, or daily goal checklist) displayed on the board or digital platform. Students start immediately upon entering, settling in quickly and focusing on the day’s priorities. This also helps transition students from social mode to work mode seamlessly. My yearbook bell ringers are printable and digital.

2. Checking Out Equipment: Preventing Lost or Damaged Gear

Problem : Cameras, laptops, and other equipment can easily get lost, damaged, or forgotten, causing delays and extra costs.

Routine : Create a sign-out/sign-in system — either a physical clipboard or a shared Google Sheet — where students log their name, date, and equipment taken. Assign a student equipment manager each week to oversee returns and maintenance. Set clear consequences for missing or damaged equipment to encourage responsibility. Having a school-approved contract that students and families sign with clear expectations and consequences is a best practice.

3. Proofing and Submitting Pages: Avoiding Last-Minute Errors and Missed Deadlines

Problem : Pages submitted with typos, design errors, or missing content slow down production and cause stress near deadlines.

Routine : Implement a multi-step proofing process:

Be sure your ladder is always updated: Use a digital ladder or a huge wall calendar where everyone has access.
Peer review: Partners or small groups check each other’s pages for errors. Grab my yearbook pages editing task cards here .
Teacher check-in: Weekly deadlines where you review progress and provide feedback. Set firm weekly submission deadlines with a “no late pages” policy to keep production moving smoothly.
Rubric: Students know exactly what to expect when you use rubrics as checklists prior to grading. See mine here.

Watch one of my deadline processes here on Instagram .

4. Collecting Money and Sales: Managing Orders Without Chaos

Problem : Collecting payments and tracking yearbook orders often gets disorganized, resulting in lost money or missed orders.

Routine : Documentation here is key. Also, be sure to follow your school's protocol for collecting and depositing money. Give receipts for any money collected in person, like cash or check. Collect as much money as possible digitally through a school account or your yearbook company's account. Keep a detailed sales ledger—digital or paper—with student names, payment status, and order details. Assign a student treasurer role to update records regularly and communicate any outstanding balances. My Yearbook Book Sales and Distribution Kit for Advisers has quite a few tools to help with this routine.

5. Digital File Organization: Keeping Your Yearbook Work Accessible and Safe

Problem : With multiple students creating pages, photos, and graphics, digital files can quickly become messy, lost, or accidentally overwritten, causing delays and frustration.

Routine : Set up a consistent digital filing system with clear folder names and file naming conventions (e.g., “SectionName_StudentName_Date”). Use shared cloud storage like Google Drive, OneDrive, or a school server so everyone accesses the latest files. Teach students to always save drafts and final versions separately, and require them to upload work by deadlines into designated folders. Regularly back up files and schedule check-ins to clean and reorganize folders if needed. If your yearbook program has a naming system for indexing, use that, too! Just be sure students are picking the same names from a master list so everything is spelled correctly.

Conclusion

Setting these routines early in your yearbook class can save you hours of troubleshooting later. When students know exactly what’s expected—whether it’s submitting pages, using equipment, or organizing their files—they’re more confident, more independent, and more successful. Ready to start your year strong? Shop my Yearbook Starter Kit —it’s packed with editable templates, checklists, and tools to help you launch your yearbook program with clarity and confidence.

�� Grab the Yearbook Starter Kit here!

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5 Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies I Learned from My Trip to New York City

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:22:58 GMT

5 Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies I Learned from My Trip to New York City

There’s something about New York City that feels like stepping into a pulse. It’s constant motion—lights, sound, culture, and chaos—but somehow it all works. I just spent the weekend wandering its streets, soaking up everything from experiencing The Great Gatsby on Broadway to walking and biking on beautiful bridges, and yes—finding the best gluten-free pizza in Midtown. But if you know me, you know I can’t take a trip without also thinking like a teacher. As we head into back-to-school season, I realized NYC had some surprisingly practical reminders for the classroom: from classroom management and student engagement to how I’m approaching planning and classroom environment this year. Here are five back-to-school teaching strategies inspired by the city that never sleeps.

Celebrate What Makes Everyone Unique—But Still Belonging

Walking through NYC means hearing five languages in five minutes, passing people from every background and identity, and somehow still feeling like you fit in. For me, it's my dietary restrictions: I can't have gluten, and quite a few other foods. So finding incredible gluten-free pizza, sushi, fish and chips, and cheesecake (all the NYC icons) was not only a relief that I wouldn't have to miss out, but I really felt included. In that same way, our students need to feel seen—and served. Occasionally, my southern accent made communicating a little difficult ;), but ultimately, it didn't get in the way of being understood, welcomed, or helped.

That’s what I want for my classroom, too. Every student walks in with his/her own story—cultural background, learning style, personal needs—and I want to create a space where they don’t feel like they have to change who they are to belong. Inclusion isn’t just about representation; it’s about making sure no one has to sit out on the experience. Whether it’s the texts we read, the voices we highlight, or the way we offer choice, I want my classroom to say, “You’re seen, and you’re supported.” Because belonging shouldn’t be a bonus—it should be built in. I want every student to feel like he/she has something on the menu that leads to a personalized classroom success story.

This prompt pack is an oldie but goodie . It's the perfect "getting-to-know you" activity for back to school. It fulfills the "pretest" writing requirement. Plus, it's a new, productive twist on the old "write what you did this summer" prompt.

Advertise Loudly—Communicate Clearly

Times Square doesn’t whisper. It blinks and beams and repeats its message over and over. And it works—you know what’s happening and where to look. Myrtle, in The Great Gatsby , said, "That's just an advertisement" to dismiss her husband's concerns. But, in NYC AND in the classroom, especially during those first few weeks, you can’t over-communicate. These aren't just advertisements to be skipped past or ignored; they are intentional messages designed to shape behavior, create clarity, and set the tone. In Times Square, the repetition is strategic—you don’t miss the point.

In the classroom, especially during those crucial first weeks of school, clear, consistent communication is everything. From how to turn in work to what collaboration looks like, students need to see and hear expectations multiple times, in multiple ways. These aren't just decorative posters or one-time announcements—they’re the systems that build safety, trust, and rhythm. When we advertise well, we don’t just manage behavior—we create a culture students can navigate with confidence. Also, I communicate with students AND families. Whether it’s procedures for turning in work, daily expectations, the reading list, the phone policy, or classroom values—make it bold, visual, and consistent. Hang it. Email it. Repeat it. Refer to it. Our students live in a high-input world. Let your classroom be just as clear.

Plus, don't forget that communication throughout the year is just as important as it is at the beginning of the year. I like to send email reminders to parents about upcoming projects or assessments, letting families know how they can help their student prepare. Families also love to receive good news mail, too, so plan time to drop a few positive emails for your shining stars. Lastly, we all know students struggle to keep up with information for whatever reason. I post the weekly schedule on my board; I email about upcoming dates, I print and post unit guides, and book reading deadlines. See a peek in my classroom with examples of all these details .

Grab my Back-to-School Bundle specifically for high school ELA classrooms with procedures posters, syllabus templates, and more to make communicating what's important to you for your students' success.

Give Students Options—But Set the Boundaries

In New York, you can choose your path: subway/bus/train, trendy shops or open-air market, rooftop jazz or sightseeing from a boat or open-top bus. But those options live within the structure of a well-planned city. That’s how I want to structure my classroom this year: freedom within form. It's no secret that there could be danger lurking around the corner in a city as big as NYC, so having a plan to avoid issues is crucial.

In my classroom, that looks like letting students pick their projects, roles in a group, or paths to show mastery—but keeping expectations and timelines crystal clear. Rubrics (and giving them to students ahead of the project) really are the ticket to setting and managing expectations. Choice creates buy-in, but structure prevents chaos. I'm a firm believer in old-school rules and consistency.

Menu boards are an excellent way to give students a choice. I incorporate options in most all of my resources, especially the novel guides. If you have fast-finishers, menu boards are excellent way to differentiate. I have several free options listed here .

Be Iconic, But Evolving

From the Statue of Liberty to the Rockefeller Center, to FAO Schwarz, to the Brooklyn and Queensboro Bridges, New York owns its icons—but it doesn’t stop building, improving, and changing. New York City blends the old with the new and holds a special place for the traditions and memories that demand and deserve honor and reverence. At the same time, NYC is always updating buildings, reshaping experiences with new technology, introducing new food, and sporting the latest styles -- all of it is cutting-edge, avant-garde! I want to bring that same energy into my teaching this year: lean into the routines that work, but stay open to new tools, new tech, and fresh inspiration.

Our traditions, history, and memories anchor us, but being open to refinement and improvement makes us relevant, responsive, and resilient. Just like the city, our classrooms should be places where the past is honored but not idolized—where what we’ve always done is respected, but not off-limits to revision, if needed. I want my students to experience the best of what I’ve built after 20+ years in the classroom—those strong routines, the tried-and-true systems, the activities that always work—but I also want them to see me learning, growing, and taking risks. Because when we blend what’s timeless with what’s timely, we create a space that feels grounded and alive. This year, I’m choosing both: the legacy and the leap. Students notice when we teachers are excited to try something new, and it gives them permission to do the same.

In my classroom, tradition looks like starting the period with daily grammar. If you need a daily grammar routine, take a look at my Ten-Minute Grammar for Middle School and High School.

Create Room to Breathe and Reflect

NYC has these surprising little green oases: Bryant Park, the High Line, and Central Park. You can feel the city exhale in these spaces. One of my favorite adventures while in NYC was e-biking around Central Park! After touring the high-rises and window shopping the packed streets of 5th Avenue and SoHo, I loved taking time to enjoy the fresh air and reflect on our trip. Our classrooms need that too—pockets of quiet, breath, and reset.

This year, I’m building in intentional downtime: more time for Book Talks (read that post here), independent work/reading time, more opportunities for review and reflection, and flexible spaces for students to rest and regroup. The learning is richer when it has room to breathe.

My Student-Directed Data Track is perfect for giving students the tools they need to pause and reflect with purpose. I use it with my students to chart and reflect on their test scores. See it here. Also, I'm a huge proponent of self-reflecting after writing. You can grab my writing self-evaluation sheets here for free .

Conclusion

New York reminded me that the best systems aren’t rigid—they’re responsive. The best classrooms aren’t perfect—they’re purposeful. This trip gave me a much-needed recharge before the rush of back-to-school, but it also gave me ideas I’m genuinely excited to bring to my students.

If you’re heading into the school year wanting to blend structure with soul, and management with meaning, maybe these lessons I learned from my trip to NYC will help you do just that. In the words of Taylor Swift, but with a twist, "Welcome to New York"... AKA: Your Classroom. Because just like the city, your classroom and students are full of potential, waiting to be explored, experienced, and loved.

(Also, if you want my list of gluten-free restaurants in NYC, email me!)

Want more inspiration like this? Check out my other travel-inspired teaching posts:
→ Magnolia and Classroom Culture
→ Country Concert and Student Engagement

→ What My Trip to Disney Taught Me About Teaching

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No-Prep High School & Middle School ELA Bell Ringers for Every Day of the Year

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 01:11:06 GMT

No-Prep High School & Middle School ELA Bell Ringers for Every Day of the Year

If you're an ELA teacher looking for consistent, no-prep bell ringers for high school students, this post is your goldmine. With 36 weeks of grammar practice, writing prompts, poetry analysis, or reading comprehension activities, you’ll have your entire year of bell ringers planned—before school even starts. These aren’t just random warm-ups. They’re unique week-at-a-time resources in a cohesive, skill-based format that reinforce standards, improve classroom management, and set a purposeful tone for every class period.

Let’s break down how you can cover whichever ELA strand or standard serves your students best—with zero last-minute scrambling.

Grammar Bell Ringers: Daily Practice That Sticks

If you’re tired of reteaching commas and subject-verb agreement after every major writing assignment, grammar bell ringers are your best ally. A short sentence-editing task each day helps students build grammar and mechanics skills over time—without overwhelming them (or you). I use my 36-week Ten-Minute Grammar system to spiral in key concepts like fragments, punctuation, agreement, and more. Just a few minutes a day = major gains. Read more in this blog post about my Ten-Minute Grammar Program for Middle and High School .

Classroom Success Stories:

"This curriculum is so great! I feel as though it really helped my students understand the conventions of the English language so much better. It helps to build a routine with grammar, but it is not too hard or too much for the students. 10/10 would buy again!"

-Joshua F.

"My students really enjoyed being able to come up to the whiteboard and make revisions to the paragraphs. "

-Bete R P.

Shop it for middle and high school here.

Writing Bell Ringers: Paragraph-of-the-Week Prompts

Get your students writing consistently with structured paragraph prompts that build over the week. This style of writing bell ringers guides students through brainstorming, drafting, revising, and reflecting—all in bite-sized pieces. They’re ideal for routine writing practice and for strengthening skills that show up in formal essays, constructed responses, and test writing tasks.

Classroom Success Stories:

"Love this resource! My students are able to work on their writing skills without it being overwhelming. "

-Ashley C.

"Thank you so much. I have moved grades a lot and was very excited to find weekly paragraph writing for older kids."

-Kyle J.

Shop middle and high school ELA here.

Poetry Bell Ringers: Short Texts, Big Thinking

Poetry doesn’t have to be intimidating. A "Poem of the Week" bell ringer using a short, high-interest poem can help students grow more comfortable analyzing figurative language, tone, diction, and structure. They dive in with a specific, but new, task each day to keep it fresh and to produce more in-depth interaction with poetry. My poem-of-the-week resource for high school is designed to be quick, accessible, and discussion-friendly—perfect for the first ten minutes of class each day. With this resource, there is no more IDK with poetry. Read that blog post here. I also explain a bit more about my Poem of the Week Daily Bell Ringers in this video on Instagram , flip through this highlight , or see this post with a video walk-through .

Classroom Success Stories

"I'm not going to lie, my students did not like this resource. However, the reason they did not like it was because that meant they had to do more than just simply read the poem and summarize it. This resource required students to look deeper at each poem and work each day to truly comprehend what was being asked of them. I loved how this resource made the students slow down and read to understand and gain a deeper understanding of what was being asked of them."

- Jada

"Love how this resource is set up, and I love the Acronym worksheet!"

-Jennifer

Shop Poem of the Week Here.

Reading Bell Ringers: Informational Texts Article of the Week

Whether it’s a current event or a thought-provoking article, reading bell ringers help students sharpen close reading, annotation, and comprehension skills. The short nonfiction texts in my Article of the Week resource are great for building reading stamina and background knowledge. With this resource, I've designed daily tasks unique to the articles linked in that give students a meaningful and skills-based reason to revisit the article of the week each day. Except for the day students are answering the provided questions, the tasks can be completed in 10 minutes or so! Read "Everything You Need to Know About Article of the Week" or watch me explain it in my Instagram Highlights .

Classroom Success Stories:

"I have tried for years to incorporate AOW into my curriculum but have never really found anything that sticks or that I felt was organic. This year alone, I have now tried 3 different formats, including Julie Faulkner's way, and her bundle of pre-made worksheets has worked best. Providing a pre-made worksheet with the article addresses all levels of student ability rather than just asking them to write a response. This provides more direction and structure. I did have to remove her rubric as it was far too general and had larger point values which led to too much ambiguity. I have made a more task-specific rubric instead but I appreciated the ability to edit all of the worksheets so that I could do that."

-Krysta

"Wow! This is one of the best resources I've come across. I've always struggled to fit in informational text standards, but this easy routine ensures that I hit all of them. Thank you so much!"

-Grace

Shop Article of the Week for ELA High School, ELA Middle School, and Yearbook/Journalism .

Beyond the Weekly Routine: Keep It Fresh and Flexible

Once in a while, you need something unexpected to shake things up. I also rotate in creative bell ringers like Real-World Grammar Fails Task Cards , Holiday/Seasonal Grammar Worksheets , seasonal Coloring-by-Number sheets , Interactive games , or hands-on sorting games . These bonus warm-ups keep the routine engaging while still hitting standards—and they’re a great way to review or preview upcoming units.

Classroom Success Stories:

"I needed to switch up how I use was using grammar instruction for bell work, and this resource has been perfect. "

- Janeen W. (on the Real-World Grammar Fails Task Cards )

"Thank you for this resource! I use this about once a week for morning work so my 11th grader can brush up on some grammar!"

-Jamie S. (on the Seasonal Grammar Worksheets )

Shop Grammar Fails, Seasonal Worksheets, and Hands-On Sorting Games

Read on more about bell ringers at this post: "Everything You Need to Know About Bell Ringers."

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Plant-Themed, Growth Mindset High School Classroom Design Makeover

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:40:16 GMT

Plant-Themed, Growth Mindset High School Classroom Design Makeover

If you're searching for classroom makeover ideas, growth mindset decor, or creative ways to organize your room for maximum impact, this plant-themed classroom transformation is packed with inspiration. I gave my new classroom a makeover rooted (pun intended!) in a plant-growth mindset theme — green vibes, inspiring messages, and purposeful organization. I wanted the space to not only look fresh but also serve students with meaning. From a cozy classroom library to a faux greenery wall with classroom rules and norms, I’ve designed every area with intention. Whether you're setting up a middle school ELA room, refreshing your high school classroom, or just need classroom organization ideas, this post will walk you through five functional and beautiful zones — with photos — that support student success and foster a welcoming, motivational learning environment.

The Before

Student-Centered Spaces

Nothing says growth like seeing where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. I create display areas just for student work — essays, projects, art, and even bellringer highlights. I don't highlight perfect scores or "improved" papers; I just hang what students have done collaboratively or creatively. It’s a rotating celebration of effort, voice, and progress. I have two HUGE bulletin boards in my room. One that we covered with shiplap-style paper. The other was a 12 foot long old-school chalkboard that I transformed into half bulletin board and half faux green wall!

Bulletin Board #1

Bulletin Board #2

For the second bulletin board, we took a piece of lattice from Home Depot. I used small clothespins (might need bigger ones) and printed out small plants to glue to the pins. (Could have cut them out with my Cricut.)

Student Seating

I place my students in groups, but I do a seating chart from the start of the year. Eventually, it changes. I label the groups for easy management. I also label the desks with letters for easy turn-and-talks, assigning responsibilities, etc.

Evergreen Spaces

An evergreen space is a space that never changes; it has beauty and/or purpose that never needs to change! I just so happens that my room is plant-themed, so my favorite wall features calming faux greenery and a warm, encourage neon light bar! Classroom norms and your rules/social contract are also evergreen content that stays put all year. I also include my phone caddy here because it has a permanent home, but I like to integrate it visually and symbolically into our classroom expectations — responsibility and respect.

The Faux Boxwood Wall and Neon Light Sign

The faux boxwood came from Walmart, and the custom neon light sign came from Etsy. See us hanging it on my Instagram .

Phone Caddy

I just bought a shoe caddy from Walmart. It has double pockets, which is perfect for my BIG classes!

Structure Central: Schedule + Teacher Zone

This space keeps us all on track. It includes the daily/weekly calendar, reminders, and a clean, organized teacher area for materials, laptop docking, and quick check-ins. This zone models structure and sets the tone for how we start and end each class. My stand-up teacher desk came from Home Depot, and it may sound dramatic to say, but I don't think I could teach without it. This one is an investment, but it is 1000% worth it. It is sturdy, rolls, goes up and down, and has a huge space for all my things when I'm teaching. My sit-down desk came from Target. Even my planner matches! You can grab it here !

See my write on my daily/weekly calendar on Instagram .

Watch me get my teacher planner ready .

Changing Content Areas

These are my rotating hubs. I use this space to post current unit standards, book study posters, and new content. For ELA, it also houses my classroom library with a rotating “Book of the Month” and covers connected to our theme. It’s always evolving — just like our thinking.

Watch my classroom library bookshelf makeover on Instagram .

Motivation Station

Growth mindset meets good vibes here! Seasonal affirmation mirror messages greet students with kindness and purpose, while graduation cards from past students serve as visual reminders that their effort now leads to something real. They are feel-good areas with meaning.

See me assemble my seasonal classroom mirrors . It's really so easy!

See a close up of my graduation invite wall ! I display these invites from all the various students I've had the privilege to teach when they graduation from high school and college! And this beautiful room would NOT have been possible without the help of these amazing kids I get to do life with SINCE their graduation!

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No More 'IDK': Effective Strategies for Teaching Poetry in Secondary ELA

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 18:51:43 GMT

No More 'IDK': Effective Strategies for Teaching Poetry in Secondary ELA

You know it. That moment when you ask, “What do you think this poem means?” and a student shrugs with a painfully honest, “I don’t know.”
It’s not that they’re being defiant. Most of the time, they really don’t know how to start. That’s where we English teachers come in. I’ve learned that with a few small shifts, we can build students’ confidence in reading poetry before they even have the chance to feel lost.

These are my go-to strategies for getting ahead of the IDK spiral and making poetry feel less like a mystery and more like a meaningful experience.

Start with Accessible Poems

There’s no shame in starting simple. In fact, it’s strategic. When students feel like they get it, they’re more willing to try again. I always begin with high-interest, relatable poems that are emotionally resonant and easy to follow—no dense metaphors or Shakespearean syntax required.

(Pro Tip: My Poetry Mini Lessons, Surviving Senioritis & End-of-Year, BUNDLE of Five Poems includes just-right texts that ease students into analysis without overwhelm.)

Model the Process

Reading poetry is a learned skill, not a magical talent. I take time to read poems aloud and think through my annotations in real time—What do I notice? What’s confusing? What stands out? Students need to see that even we don’t always “get it” right away. That vulnerability builds trust and skills.

Use Guided Annotations

My favorite teaching “hack” for teaching poetry and beating the "IDK" response? Guided annotations. Instead of asking students to dive into a blank poem with zero direction, I give them prompts:

What’s the tone in stanza 1?
Highlight with a blue highlighter all of the negatively connotated words.
Circle any repeated words.

This turns passive reading into active thinking—and it works across genres, not just poetry. Students start to see patterns and from those patterns... meanings!

(Pro Tip: You can grab a done-for-you set of Guided Annotations for Any Text for FREE here and watch a video where I explain my process for guided annotations more in depth.)

Chunk with an Accessible Strategy

I teach students to take it one bite at a time using a poem acronym or chunking strategy. Think: structure, shifts, tone, title, theme. This scaffolding gives them a roadmap and helps them process the poem in manageable pieces.

If you want an easy-to-implement structure, I share my go-to Poetry Analysis Acronym Strategy in this video.

Pair Poems with Other Texts

When poetry is part of a bigger conversation—paired with fiction, nonfiction, or even media—it just clicks more easily. Students already have a framework for the theme or tone, so the poem becomes an extension, not a stand-alone puzzle.

Try pairing a poem with a TED Talk, short story, or even a podcast—suddenly the theme stands out, and analysis feels purposeful. Pairing poetry is also an effective differentiation for accelerated learners, and it promotes critical thinking as students are exercising their ability to make connections across texts.

Conclusion

Helping students get poetry isn’t about dumbing it down—it’s about giving them the tools and confidence to dig in. By frontloading these strategies, we shift the focus from “I don’t know” to “Here’s what I noticed.” And that’s where the real magic starts!

If you’re ready to make poetry feel less intimidating and more engaging, explore my Poetry Resource Collection for easy-to-use tools that support every strategy in this post.

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Old-Fashioned Test Prep That Works: A Proven Approach for Middle and High School English

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:06:57 GMT

Old-Fashioned Test Prep That Works: A Proven Approach for Middle and High School English

Let me let you in on a little secret: I actually like test prep season! I don't love that students have to take the tests (we can discuss that another day), but what I love is that this time is when we can slow down and reflect. There's no more pressure to teach new material, and it's also a signal that the end of the year is near! However, I know that means students are also super close to done and prepping for tests can really start to wear them thin. That’s why I stick to test prep strategies that work—no fluff, no gimmicks, just solid, old-fashioned review. While flashy new methods come and go, the classic approach still delivers results. By focusing on structured review, targeted practice, and immediate feedback, we can keep students engaged without burning them out. Here’s how to make test prep both effective and manageable.

1. Teach and Review Test Strategies

Before diving into content review, equip students with test-taking strategies that improve their confidence and accuracy. It seems like a simple concept, but that's actually the good news: This part of test prep isn't difficult!

Teach skills like

eliminating wrong answers
managing time effectively
annotating passages
understanding question types
reading the extra information provided with passages (titles, authors, context, definitions)
reading the passages fully to get main ideas and big concepts
discerning unfamiliar words with context clues

A quick refresher on multiple-choice strategies, constructed responses, and essay structure ensures success because students are prepared for any format.

2. Use a Review Game for Skill Practice

You and your students have spent all semester (or all year!) doing the hard work—now it’s time to lock in that learning. Playing interactive review games isn’t just about having fun; it’s about boosting engagement, reinforcing key concepts, and giving students a low-pressure way to recall information. Research shows that games activate the brain’s reward system, increase motivation, and help with long-term retention. Plus, as the end of the year nears and energy starts to dip, games can be the perfect way to keep students focused and motivated while still reviewing essential content!

Some of my favorite review games include

Alphabet soup (Students write one thing they've learned for each letter. Have them share out. Repeated words/ideas get cancelled out. The group with the most unique ideas wins.)
Bingo
Ball toss
Question trails
I have who has ( See my full catalog. )
Fish bowl ( Hear me explain this game here. )
Dominoes ( Grab a free template here .)
Human matching ( See my full catalog. )
Escape games ( See my full catalog .)
Fly swatter race
Any card game or board game with your own terms or problems (A list of 30 terms for English comes as a bonus in my Secondary English Test Prep Capsule. Get that here. Or sign up with your email to get them free !)

Gamifying test prep doesn't have to be a ton of work either! You might spend a little time of the front end setting the games up, but then you've got them done to use over and over. Or just make your practice tests a team competition! When students are competing, collaborating, and genuinely excited to participate, that’s authentic engagement at its best—making test prep feel less like a chore and more like a challenge they’re eager to conquer!

3. Provide Practice in Test Format

Students need to practice in the exact format they’ll see on test day, so there are no surprises. I share about my own experience with practicing in "test prep" format in my "What I Learned About Test Prep from my Handgun Training Course" blog post. Hop over and read that here ! Use editable test prep assessments that mirror the structure and wording of real exams. Include multiple-choice, short response, and extended writing prompts so students build stamina and familiarity with expectations. If tests are online, provide that format of practice, too, because in that case, students make have to type their answers or use different formatting options provided in the online testing platform.

One other note to mention here specifically for tests with writing portion - show students models and unpack those. I like to use my Sample Paper Analysis Task Cards to help students zero in on the most important takeaways.

4. Review the Answers—The Right Way

Going over answers isn’t just about grading—it’s about analyzing mistakes and understanding reasoning. In fact, I rarely take a grade during test prep. Walk students through incorrect answers, have them explain their thinking, and use error analysis techniques to prevent repeat mistakes.

Some strategies for reviewing answers include:

Peer discussions
Color-coded answer justifications
Think-aloud strategies
Tear and Share ( My favorite! Hear me explain it here .)
Self-checking tests with feedback built in ( Take a look at my Digital Grammar Quizzes with Instant Scoring and Feedback. )

5. How Much Time Should You Spend on Test Prep?

The ideal amount of review time depends on the complexity of the test and student needs, but a balanced approach is key. Too little review leaves students unprepared, while too much can lead to burnout. I usually plan to finish instruction about two weeks prior to the testing window. One week, if things are rushed. This time frame allows time for strategy instruction, skill reinforcement, practice, and reflection—without overwhelming students.

In Conclusion

Effective test prep doesn’t have to be complicated. By following these steps—teaching strategies, reviewing with games, practicing in test format, and analyzing answers/providing immediate feedback—you’ll set your students up for success. My students love to remind me I’m old, but sometimes a little old-fashioned prep—like solid practice and review—is exactly what they need to feel confident on test day.

To save you time, I’ve put together a ready-to-use test prep capsule that includes everything you need: editable assessments, review games, strategy guides, and practice materials designed specifically for middle and high school English. Grab it now and take the stress out of test prep!

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Mastering Academic Feedback on Writing: Strategies for Teachers and Students

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 21:34:47 GMT

Mastering Academic Feedback on Writing: Strategies for Teachers and Students

Providing effective academic feedback on writing is one of the most impactful ways educators can support student growth. Research and experience consistently show that timely, meaningful feedback clarifies expectations and helps students develop critical skills for success in writing and beyond. Whether you’re following evaluation rubrics like TEAM or preparing students for AP Language standards or EOC writing tests, creating a system for giving and receiving feedback is essential. In this post, I’ll summarize five key strategies to make academic feedback a game-changer in your classroom.

1. What Academic Feedback Is Not

Before mastering academic feedback, it’s important to identify common pitfalls.

Not vague or generic: Comments like “Good job” or “Needs work” don’t provide actionable insights.
Not overly critical: Focusing solely on weaknesses can undermine confidence.
Not a one-time event: Feedback should be an ongoing process that spans the entire writing journey.

2. What Academic Feedback Is

So, what really should it be? Think of academic feedback on writing as a roadmap that leads students toward success, recognizing progress along the way.

Specific and actionable: Feedback should align with goals, such as rubric criteria or learning objectives. Start small. Picture an isosceles triangle. For example, if I am teaching thesis statements and students write a paragraph, I am going to focus the feedback mostly on the thesis statement in that writing sample. I might also check for a grammar concept we’ve covered that week. This way, students don’t feel overwhelmed with so much red ink on their papers!
Balanced: Highlight strengths to motivate students and struggles to provide direction. Give a compliment sandwich!
Integrated: Feedback should guide students from brainstorming to final revision, becoming a natural part of the writing process.
Timely: Feedback must come when students can act on it. The sooner students receive feedback, the more likely they are to retain and apply it effectively. Timeliness ensures that feedback is relevant to their current work, allowing for immediate improvement. However, teachers often face the challenge of balancing timely feedback with large class sizes and heavy workloads. I get it! Read more on managing the essay grading burden at this post .

3. Teacher-to-Student Feedback

Teacher-given feedback is always the first stop. It’s accurate and reliable. It is the model for all other feedback. Providing effective feedback as a teacher requires a clear process and intentionality.

Why It Matters:

Builds essential writing skills.
Clarifies expectations and supports growth.
Aligns with rubrics like TEAM (for your own evaluations), AP standards, or state writing assessments.

How to Deliver Feedback:

Focus on specific objectives (e.g., thesis statements in an early draft).
Gradually expand feedback to include more complex skills.
Provide feedback in multiple forms: face-to-face, written, or digital.
Provide a mixture of questions and statements.
Remember - We aren't editors. Let students know what grammar mistake they made once or twice. They need to do the rest.

Tools for Success:

AI-powered tools, Google comment banks, or LMS features. Grab my no-prep Tools for Feedback on Writing pack with comments for Google. My comments pack even includes linked videos for automatic and differentiation instruction! Watch me use them here.
Conference notes or video/audio recordings.

4. Student-to-Student Feedback

Teachers aren’t the only ones who can give feedback! Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist said, "If you really want to master something, teach it.” Letting students in the driver's seat along the process can produce huge gains for them and their peers. Thus, peer reviews can be very effective in the writing process when done well.

Why It Matters:

Encourages shared learning and different perspectives.
Builds students’ evaluative and analytical skills.
Peer feedback fosters collaboration and critical thinking.

How to Implement It:

Practice giving feedback on model papers prior to letting students critique each other's papers.
Emphasize a positive, safe environment for peer critique.
Use guided questions tied to the rubric to focus feedback. My Tools for Feedback on Writing Pack on Teachers Pay Teachers includes a couple of versions peer review worksheets.
Provide follow-up time for students to discuss their feedback face-to-face.

5. The Biggest Question: How Do I Get Students to Use Feedback?

I hear you! You spend hours.. days…writing notes, messages, and corrections. Just to have students look at the grade and put the assignment in their notebook - or worse, the trashcan. The only time they have a question is if they can’t read the feedback (anyone else?) or if they don’t agree with something they lost points for. Well, that’s NOT the point. Feedback on writing is only effective if students engage with it.

Make it part of the process: Build time into class for students to review feedback and ask questions.
Don't always give a grade: To teach or condition students to see feedback as a tool to become a better writer, I’ve started to remove the number grade in some cases. Maybe I just give a completion grade or no grade at all.
Encourage reflection: Have students complete self-evaluations to analyze their strengths and areas for improvement.
Require revisions: Students should submit both original and revised drafts, along with a statement explaining their changes.
Create class discussions: Identify common themes in strengths and struggles to set shared goals.
Use student-directed data charts or writing portfolios for students to track progress.

Is It Worth It?

It is a reasonable question. We spend SOOO much time away from class, in class, during planning, etc. So, it's natural to want to know. I can say that actively and consistently providing feedback and teaching students how to engage with it and edit using us it does produce positive results.

Effective academic feedback isn’t just about improving a single piece of writing—it’s about teaching students how to think critically, reflect, and grow as learners. Whether it’s teacher-to-student feedback, peer collaboration, or building a system that ensures students engage with feedback, these strategies create a classroom environment where writing becomes a process of discovery and success. With tools like rubrics, structured feedback methods, and intentional reflection, you’ll empower your students to tackle any writing challenge confidently.

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Student-Centered Teaching Strategies: Engage Your Class Without the Stress

juliefaulknersblog@gmail.com (Julie Faulkner) — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 21:14:22 GMT

Student-Centered Teaching Strategies: Engage Your Class Without the Stress

By Julie Faulkner

There are those times when "teachering" just isn’t optimal. What do I mean by that? "Teachering," as defined by me, involves delivering new material, expecting students to produce immediate results, or spending the entire class in direct instruction when students are already overloaded or overstimulated. These times include—but are not limited to—the days before or after a break, the holiday season, the week of a full moon, half days, or even the day after Halloween. During these moments, the best approach is to shift the focus away from you and onto your students. Let them lead, apply what they’ve already learned, reflect on their progress, and take ownership of their work.

This hands-off teaching strategy creates a structured yet low-stress classroom environment where students stay calm, focused, and productive.

Why Shift the Focus?

Students need time to process, practice, and internalize the material they’ve been working on throughout the semester. Constantly introducing new material or pushing a fast pace can lead to burnout—for both you and your students. By using student-led learning techniques, you not only keep students engaged but also foster critical thinking, independence, and accountability.

For teachers, this approach allows you to take a step back. It’s a low-prep way to engage students while still maintaining high expectations. Plus, it minimizes classroom chaos and keeps things admin-friendly, making these strategies perfect for those "sticky" times during the year.

5 Hands-Off Teaching Strategies That Work

1) Research and Presentations

Research projects are a great way for students to explore topics in-depth and showcase their knowledge. Whether they work individually or in groups, this activity allows students to dive deeper into areas of interest while honing their research and communication skills. Whether they are working on a project you've assigned, or they are prepping to "be the teacher" for a day, letting students "takeover" is always sure to produce strong engagement.

Why It Works:

Encourages independence and ownership of learning.
Students practice critical thinking and organizational skills.
Presentations engage the class and allow for peer-to-peer learning.
If you choose to all groups, it gives students the chance for collaboration.
We know it's true that if you can teach something, it means you know it well. This is a perfect strategy for review!
Students spend several days researching and several days presenting. Win!

Pro Tip: Provide students with guiding questions or a checklist to ensure their research stays focused and meets your standards. This way grading is done in the moment -- no extra work for you when presentations are done! See my full catalog of no-prep short research projects that include everything you need.

2) Work Days

Dedicate a class period or two to letting students catch up on projects, essays, or assignments. These focused work sessions are a great way to show students you value their time and effort.

Why It Works:

Keeps students productive without adding to their stress.
Provides time for one-on-one conferences with students who need support.
Helps reduce the pile of incomplete assignments for both you and your students.

Pro Tip: Set clear expectations at the start of the period and consider using a timer and a checklist on the board to help students manage their time effectively. See what I do here how I transform my classroom into a coffee shop on Instagram.

*If you are a yearbook advisor thinking of hosting a work day, watch my process for proofing yearbook pages.

3) Peer-to-Peer Feedback and Self-Reflection

Allow students to assess each other’s work or reflect on their own progress. Peer review sessions are particularly effective for writing, while self-reflection can be used for almost any subject.

Why It Works:

Students build communication and collaboration skills.
Encourages metacognition and self-improvement.
Creates a supportive classroom community and positive classroom environment.

Pro Tip: Provide a rubric or checklist for peer reviews to keep feedback constructive and aligned with learning goals. Grab my FREE self-evaluation forms here.

4) Creative Assignments

Inject some creativity into your classroom by assigning projects like writing a short story, creating a poster, or designing an infographic. These assignments allow students to demonstrate understanding in a way that feels less formal but is still academically rigorous.

Why It Works:

Engages different learning styles.
Encourages students to connect their learning to real-world applications.
Offers variety in assessment methods, which keeps things fresh and fun.

Pro Tip: Display student work on a bulletin board or online platform to celebrate their efforts. Grab my pack of Creative Activities for any Text that make beautiful classroom displays!

5) Movie Days (or Other Media) With Purpose

A movie day doesn’t have to mean a “free day.” Choose a film or podcast that ties into your curriculum, and include guided questions or a discussion afterward to reinforce learning.

Why It Works:

Provides a mental break while staying aligned with standards.
Engages students in visual and auditory learning.
Encourages critical thinking and analysis through during and after listening/watching activities.

Pro Tip: Pick a movie adaptation of a book or a documentary related to your subject area for maximum impact. Check out my growing collection of ready-made movie guides here.

*Read my blog post on using movies in your classroom with purpose here.

**FREE list of so many podcast suggestions with teaching ideas and link to no-prep worksheets.

Conclusion

December—or any high-energy time—is the perfect moment to try these hands-off teaching strategies. A few other ideas include guest speakers, review games, online platforms skills practice, and even field trips! These student-led learning techniques keep students engaged, productive, and focused while giving you a break from the usual grind. With a little prep ahead, these low-stress, standards-based ideas help students take the reins, practice essential skills, and demonstrate their understanding. The best part? You’ll leave the day feeling rested, and you won’t have a mountain of grading waiting for you at home. So, the next time you’re stuck in that “sticky” season, remember: good teaching doesn’t always mean you have to "teach."

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Insights from a Student Teacher of High School English

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:52:56 GMT

Insights from a Student

Teacher of High School English

It’s a unique situation for both parties of a student-teaching experience: on the one hand from the point of view of the student teacher, you are entering someone else’s classroom and you may be teaching solo for the first time, and on the other hand, you may be the classroom teacher who is welcoming someone else into your classroom to take the lead. To say the least, this is a tricky space to navigate. That’s why I thought it would be interesting to speak directly to a student teacher – to hear her thoughts and experiences. Whether you are a cooperating/mentoring teacher of a student teacher or you are a student teacher heading into the classroom, this interview with a student teacher of high school English (Miss M), who just completed her placement, is very enlightening.

Meet Miss M.

1. DESCRIBE YOUR PLACEMENT(S).

"My placement is an urban, Title I school with a large percentage of English Language Learners. "

2. HOW PREPARED DID YOU FEEL FROM YOUR COLLEGE’S PREP COURSES FOR TEACHING THE CONTENT AND STUDENTS?

"Content: I felt prepared for the content because I added a non-required minor within my content area. However, I felt extremely unprepared for how to teach the content. Honestly, we did not have a class that specifically taught us content-specific teaching practices.

Students: I felt prepared for dealing with behavior issues and reinforcing positive behavior. Our education program did a great job at focusing on the importance of building and sustaining relationships among students. "

3. DID YOU RECEIVE ANY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OR TRAINING FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM YOU WERE PLACED IN? IF SO, DESCRIBE THAT TRAINING AND EXPLAIN HOW IT COMPARED OR DIFFERED FROM YOUR COLLEGE COURSE.

"I did, but they were all SO bad & I cannot recall a single thing. ☺"

4. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE?

"Oh gosh, I feel like I learn something every day in my placement. Queue the bullet points!

Finding your teacher-voice can be so difficult when you are starting out!

Students need grace just as much as we do in the classroom.

Maintaining a balance between enthusiasm and seriousness is crucial to the classroom environment.

TEACHING IS A PERFORMANCE—this was a really difficult thing for me to grasp, and honestly, I still struggle with it.

Expect the unexpected—from the students, admin, district, and co-workers. "

5. WHAT WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY AND KEEP THE SAME WHEN YOU ARE HIRED FOR YOUR OWN CLASSROOM?

"Keep: Rare usage of chrome books and work primarily on paper using a binder system! I also love the routineness of the classroom procedures and organization; students rarely question what materials they need or where things are.

Different: I would prefer a different classroom layout, especially the desk arrangement since these students are juniors.

I actually love my class currently and I will probably model my own class this way for a few years! "

6. HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IN SOMEONE ELSE’S CLASSROOM?

"Early on in my placement, we set very clear boundaries for the situations we would each handle if they arose in the classroom. My cooperating teacher dealt with more severe behavioral/management issues, and I dealt with smaller issues. However, as we have progressed throughout the placement, I have gradually taken over/learned how to deal with more severe issues."

7. HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS IN THE SHORT TIME OF YOUR PLACEMENT?

"I learned their names first, then I began to ask them simple questions like:

What’s your favorite sport/ artist/ movie/ Netflix show/ etc. ?

How do you feel about this class or another class? What would you change?

Is there anything I can help you with to make today’s expectations realistic?

I feel like those questions, specifically, have prompted some of the best conversations with my students. "

8. DID THIS EXPERIENCE MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS OR DIFFER FROM WHAT YOU EXPECTED TEACHING TO BE LIKE?

"This experience has surpassed most expectations I had. Before student teaching, I did not realize the performance side of teaching. I struggled with this because it made me feel less genuine and I felt like a fraud. However, I’ve learned how to blend my performance with my personality, and I am much more confident in my abilities to teach. In my school, there is a high level of team communication that I had never experienced before. I did not expect to be as invested in my students as I am, and I know I need to learn to only focus on what I can control."

9. HOW DID YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME AND WORKLOAD WITH COLLEGE CLASSES/EDTPA, JOB, RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE SCHOOL, AND STUDENT TEACHING?

"I manage my time by utilizing the calendar on my phone that is synced with my computer. I create a separate calendar for separate things (each class, work, appts., to-do list, sorority) and I create collaborative calendars with important people in my life. A life hack of mine is putting to-do list items as an “all day” event within my calendar, so my calendar and schedule are all in one spot. Obviously, all of these calendars are color-coded, so I can see at a quick glance what is taking up the most time for the day."

10. SHARE A CLASSROOM SUCCESS STORY.

"I’m not sure if this is a “success story,” but I had a super gratifying moment one day. I have a student who is slightly visually impaired, and I frequently allow this student to hold the iPad that mirrors what is on our smart screen so the student can read the material more easily. Honestly, it’s so routine I don’t even think about it. However, the other day this student stopped me and said, “Miss, I love coming to this class because you always make sure I can see what’s on the board and you read it out loud a lot. It makes me want to finish my work” I was stunned. This student, who doesn’t work great in every class, works in mine because I take an extra 45 seconds a day to make sure he can see. I felt gratified in being aware of the small things that have a big impact, and it made me feel confident that I can mitigate the small struggles for my students. "

ARE YOU AN ENGLISH TEACHER OR ABOUT TO BE A STUDENT TEACHER?

CHECK OUT THESE TIPS ON WHAT YOU SHOULD TEACH FIRST!

ALSO, CHECK OUT MY BLOG POST ON CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT.

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How to Sell the Yearbook: Everything Advisers Need to Know

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:39:43 GMT

How to Sell the Yearbook: Everything Advisers Need to Know

You’ve worked hard for half a year or longer to create this beautiful time capsule — the yearbook. You’ve sold advertisements, taken pictures, written headlines and captions, and included as many students as possible. BUT — what if no one sees what you and your staffers have created? That may be a little hyperbolic, but it is super important to have a strategy in place not just for creating the yearbook but for selling it as well. Here’s everything you need to know about how to sell the yearbook!

1. TIPS FOR PRICING YOUR YEARBOOK

You may not like to think about money when there are more fun things to think about in a yearbook, like photography, graphic design, and even writing, but you can’t ignore the elephant in the room. The truth of the matter is that it’s not free to publish a yearbook. It is, in fact, pretty pricey depending on what your staff has chosen, book count, etc. All of that has to be taken into consideration from day one. It has always been my priority when it comes to pricing to keep the price that my students have to pay as low as possible. I teach in a rural area with many families considered to have a very low economic status. I want my students to have a yearbook, but I don’t want the cost to be a burden. So I choose carefully when planning the book.

Next, we work diligently to gain income in other ways: biz ads, student tribute ads, donations, fundraisers, etc., all help to lower the cost of the book price that students/families pay. We sell our 150-ish-page book for about $65, typically. That’s just over half of the cost of one book. In a school of about 450 students, we usually acquire purchases from about half of our student body. Usually, all of our seniors get a book.

You can also consider a tiered pricing strategy:

Families with a certain number of children only pay a certain amount.
Offer a payment plan.
Give discounts for people who order early, like an early-bird special.

2. TIPS FOR MARKETING YOUR YEARBOOK

Marketing may seem like a term you’d hear in business class, not in a fine arts class like yearbook. However, like I said before, if no one buys the book, you’ve not accomplished the goal. As much fun as it is to plan the theme and the cover, you need to be planning your marketing strategy for how to sell the yearbook, too. When you have something to sell, you are always marketing ! Everything becomes material to convince your audience to buy what you are selling, so don’t miss capturing a video of a cover planning session you can use as a TikTok sneak peek or a behind-the-scenes photoshoot for the soccer pages that you can post on Facebook for the families of the players. In other words, your marketing strategy should be to document everything to build up excitement and momentum all year long. Keep your product in front of the students as often as possible. They have to know about it to know they want it! Even more so, they have to know what it’s about to make them want it.

Here are a couple of ways we have been successful in marketing our yearbook:

Incentives to buy by a certain time
Cover sneak peeks
Page sneak peeks
Books remaining countdowns (get creative with layout: build a snowman, ice cream cone, fill the egg basket, etc.)
Egg hunt around the school with prizes (discounts) hidden inside
Notes on lockers
Ice cream parties
Videos/TikToks/Text Messages/School Websites and Social Media/Email/Phone Calls
Sell at ballgames, conferences, and open houses
Hallway posters and sign
Do a drawing
Host an essay or photography contest and give prizes to the winners
Buy your yearbook, get a piece of candy
Stocking stuffer certificates during the holidays

3. SETTING DEADLINES FOR SELLING THE YEARBOOK

I’ve experimented with deadlines when selling the yearbook. I’ve sold only during the first few months of the year; I’ve sold right up until distribution day; I’ve sold all year and part of the year. Ultimately, it depends on your program and the habits of your student body and their families. We are a spring delivery book. What I’ve found that works best is to focus on creating the book and selling advertisements early in the year. I open book sales, but I don’t really push them until late winter/spring. That is after the holidays, and buyers are closer to a tax return! But, in reality, our buyers wait until the last minute to buy anyway, so I just sell “last minute.” That also gives my staffers time to focus on two of the three big pieces of yearbook class (ad sales and book creation) rather than having to do them all at once.

Here’s what works for deadlines:

Note the deadline to set your book count in stone. That matters because it affects your budget, especially if you only want to order what you’ve sold and no more. If you don’t mind ordering a number blindly, then you can do that and sell as long as you have books left.
Note the deadline for when the publisher stamps personalization on your covers. That is usually its own deadline, so people who want to customize their books need to order sooner rather than later.
If you are going to sell books right up until your distribution day, don’t sell on the day (or morning) of that event. It is too risky! You might have miscounted, or there might be something wrong with a book that you didn’t see before, and you’ll need an extra.
Set a deadline for the type of payment you accept. I only accept cash for about a month from the distribution day. Again, it’s too risky to accept a check.
I also have my publisher turn off the online order a few months away from distribution day, too, so I can keep a better watch on my number. If you are only ordering a certain amount (what you’ve sold up to a certain point), then this one won’t matter.

4. KEEP A PAPERTRAIL WHEN SELLING YOUR YEARBOOKS

There are so many moving parts when it comes to selling yearbooks. You have not only the financial side of the puzzle that you’ll need to keep straight with your school’s bookkeeper and auditor, but also you’ve got the buyers’ side, who need you to keep organized and accurate lists, too. Plus, it keeps you safe from con artists and possibly accidents.

Here’s how to keep an organized and accurate paper trail:

Use receipts (with a duplicate) for any book sale you do in person. Be sure to include the date of the sale and how the buyer paid. Keep the copy duplicate).
Log in-person sales on a collection log that you turn in to your bookkeeper with the money. Run a copy of that log.
If you sell online and in person, make sure to merge those lists often. If you can, enter your in-person sales into your online platform.
Print lists of buyers and post them often for students to see. This also helps on distribution day. Read that post here.

5. SELL THE YEARBOOK… TO EVERYONE!

Think out of the box — students and parents are obvious choices, but there are other people who are interested in a showcase of the year, too. I often sell books to teachers and coaches. Community members, historical societies, former teachers, grandparents, local politicians, your school, local libraries, and administration are all possible candidates for wanting to see the story that you and your staff have worked hard to tell.

Here are some quick and easy strategies for selling more books:

If you sell student tribute ads, make sure those families have been contacted.
Sell “book scholarships” or “adopt-a-student” books for students who can’t afford a book. Ask teachers, community members, etc., to make a donation toward the cost of a book.
Use your coverage report to target students who are active and featured quite a bit.
Look at last year’s book sales. Who bought? Ask them again. Who didn’t? Why not?

If you’d like to have some materials for selling books, take a look at my yearbook book sales kit for advisers.

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Make Your Yearbook More Diverse & Inlcusive with These Easy Tips

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:29:12 GMT

Make Your Yearbook More Diverse

& Inclusive with These Easy Tips

Our yearbook staff’s motto is “Everybody’s Story. Everybody’s Book.” That means everyone! Not just the seniors, the athletes, the staffers and their friends, certain cliques – everybody. Why does that matter? For one, if we are creating a book for people to purchase, they need to be reflected in it; or they won’t purchase it. But the bigger, more important reason is simply that we are telling the story of a year, and without every person represented, considered, and included in the yearbook design, we haven’t done our job: We haven’t told the true story of the year at all if we let bias or favoritism creep in or if we get lazy with coverage and choices. The yearbook must be an accurate time capsule with reflections of each person’s interests, styles, talents, abilities, and backgrounds. Therefore, you can make your yearbook more diverse and inclusive with these easy steps! Tips for your yearbook pages and beyond.

SELECT ACCESSIBLE FONTS FOR AN INCLUSIVE YEARBOOK

There are more font choices than I want to count from my publisher alone, which doesn’t even include any other fonts from any other website you could choose. The good news (or bad depending on your point of view), you don’t need them all. We typically choose three fonts: one for headlines, one for subheadlines, and one for body copy and captions. The first two are more creative and the last is a simple san serif or serif. We also try never to take our body copy or captions less than size 8, and we really strive for no lower than a 10-point font size. That simple choice helps the book have consistency, but it also helps students with visual impairments or processing disabilities be able to read and enjoy as well. Fonts help tell the story as much as pictures and words, so choosing the right ones is essential. If your font choices are too wild or don’t convey the right tone, you risk losing the intended meaning. If your font choices are inconsistent or just downright hard to read, you risk losing your audience. We’ve all seen the funny memes with fonts that are way too spooky for the occasion; just because a font is available doesn’t mean you have to use it! Selecting the right fonts allows everyone to enjoy the book and feel included.

DESIGN CLEAN PAGES FOR AN INCLUSIVE YEARBOOK

Along with the idea of easy-to-read fonts are clean, clutter-free pages. Many students and adults (think families) experience over-stimulation when pages are cluttered and busy. Take time to plan pages with intentional layouts with white space, adequately sized images, and muted (or consistent, at the very least) color schemes. Again, we choose one color family and stick to only a few colors from the family in that grouping. You can also do pulled color (color from the images themselves), and that helps the pages look “pulled together” and prevents it from seeming like you chose colors “out of nowhere.”

Many publishing companies provide templates with preplanned layouts that are clean and seamless that you can use throughout your book to bring it together. And that saves you time! Even though your pages are designed by multiple staffers, the last thing you want regarding design is for it to look like those people weren’t “on the same page” when it comes to design. Readers with or without attention disorders would become fatigued with a book full of chaotic pages and may give up, so spend time designing simple pages so everyone can enjoy them. You can check out my Yearbook Layouts and Design Teaching Pack here.

REPRESENT ALL THE FACES FOR A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE YEARBOOK

Another policy we have is that we cover every student three times in the book. Over the years our student body count has fluctuated from 650-450, and our book page count has fluctuated from 218-180. While these numbers may or may not be similar to your school, I still highly recommend covering students authentically at least 3 times each. You can read my blog post here about coverage to get more ideas on how to cover authentically , but if students don’t see themselves in the yearbook, they won’t feel like it’s their book.

REPRESENT ALL THE LANGUAGES FOR A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE YEARBOOK

While it may not be possible to provide every caption, story, or headline in multiple languages, the languages your student body speaks should be included in the book as often as possible. Your counselor, ESL or ELL teachers, and language teachers will be able to provide you with a list of languages and even help with accurate translations. Many publishers now offer extensions with QR codes where you can provide differing languages or even audio readings. Along with languages, remember to include and represent the various cultures and backgrounds that are present in your school. This may mean not only changing which athlete you select for the dominant photo, but also the type of content, sidebars, and spreads your design. Stephen Covey said, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” Imagine the strength of a book that includes and celebrates all the differences yet presents them in a way that feels whole — the whole of a year — a yearbook that’s not “my book” or “their book” or “your book” BUT “OUR BOOK.”

SET AN APPROACHABLE PRICE POINT

This tip strays from the content-focused ideas found above, so it is something you might not really think about as you plan. However, your price point should be playing a pretty significant role in the page ladder/content. Think about the economic diversity of your student body. My school is a Title 1 school, which means many families are middle to low when it comes to yearly income. I can’t afford to produce a large, expensive book with “all the frills.” That doesn’t mean that we produce a plain or standard book; we certainly don’t. What we do, though, is make careful, thoughtful choices along the way that put our book’s price at a point that more students and families can afford. For example, we select a page count that gets done exactly what we need – each sport is featured, we have nice-sized portraits, a creative calendar, clubs, and plenty of collages. In other words, we make the most of every page. We don’t go over the top with the cover design, but we are intentional in selecting finishes and add-ons.

The other thing we do to help with cost is sell business and senior tribute ads. It is a lot of extra work, and it does affect the ladder. However, it is worth it to offset the cost for our students. Check out my business advertisements teaching pack and tools if you need some direction in that area. Lastly, we offer a program called “Adopt-a-Senior,” which invites the community or business owners to make a donation toward the cost of a book, so that our seniors in need get a book gifted to them.

In conclusion, an inclusive and diverse yearbook does more than just check a box. It boosts school spirit, creates relationships, builds bridges, and sets an example for everyone. Students are part of a community – a family of sorts – for the time they are in school and really forever. It’s the yearbook that seals up those forever memories; it’s our job to make sure those memories are documented not just aesthetically, but accurately and adequately as well.

READY TO GET YOUR YEARBOOK CLASS OFF TO A GREAT START? CHECK OUT THIS RELATED POST: 5 WAYS TO HAVE A PICTURE PERFECT START TO YOUR YEAR.

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Planning the First Week of Yearbook Class

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:15:19 GMT

Planning the First Week of Yearbook Class

You’ve just been assigned the yearbook, or last year didn’t go so well, and you want your first days plans to be solid, effective, and fun! Does this sound like you? I’ve been there. The first week of school is a whirlwind, but in yearbook class, the first week back to school is even more topsy turvy, to say the least. You might have looked through my Tips for New Advisers post or How to Have a Picture-Perfect Start to the Year posts for adviser-facing suggestions, and you feel good-to-go from that side of things. However, now it’s time to decide what to do when students are walking through the door — AKA planning the first week of yearbook class! When I think about what to do the first week of school in my yearbook class, I try to think of it like one my English classes in some ways, and in other ways, it is completely different! In this blog post, I’ll share my student-facing plans for the first week of yearbook class.

DAY ONE: ICEBREAKERS AND TEAM BUILDING

This first day is all about you getting to know the staff, them getting to know each other, and setting the tone for the environment you want your class to have. Depending on how much time you have in a class period (I have 75 minutes) is what will determine how many of the following activities you would get done on Day One. I do feel they are all necessary “first days” activities, so if you can’t get them all scheduled for the first day, do some the second day.

I love to start with some sort of team-building exercise: break-out box game , simple ice breaker, building something with crazy supplies.

Give out a small gift.

Hand out parent permission forms and equipment contracts and do a strengths/struggles assessment. You can find these materials in my Back-to-School Yearbook Survival Pack .

DAY TWO: PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS

It is never too early to start assigning student beats (also known as specialized reporting where journalists focus on a particular idea, topic, subject, sport, or area over time). We will look at sports schedules and start making calendars and to-do lists to get events and games covered. I will also have students email teachers of their assigned subjects to ask for best times to come in and take pics and ask if the teachers will even be willing to send some. We also begin discussing ladder if there is time. You can read more about Planning a Yearbook Ladder at this post. Materials for planning photo assignments and the ladder are included in my Yearbook Adviser Starter Kit.

DAY THREE: ADVERTISING

If your program earns money by selling ads to businesses or to seniors for senior tributes, go ahead and make ad assignments during the first week. I try to assign past ads and distribute them evenly among staffers. They collect needed info to make calls, and we role play how to actually sell the ads. All the materials for selling ads are in my Yearbook Advertising Complete Teaching Pack .

DAY FOUR AND FIVE: THEME

Developing the theme of the yearbook is one of the best parts but also one of the most challenging parts! So many people have so many good ideas, so you really have to be prepared with a plan and process to find the best one for your book each year. I discuss more about developing a yearbook theme in this video on Instagram . You can also find tools for theme developing in my Yearbook Adviser Starter Kit .

DAY SIX: COVERAGE ASSIGNMENTS & PHOTO PROJECT

Begin daily bell ringers. The bell ringers bring a new level of organization and structure to your class. I have developed two sets of yearbook bell ringers, and you can grab them here . Next, I assign staffers their “families” or groups of students. You can read more about how I do that on my Yearbook Coverage Post . It’s a game changer! Last, it’s time for students to start working on a back-to-school photo project, so they can start getting to know their “families.” All my photo projects can be found in my Yearbook Curriculum .

DAY SEVEN: WORK DAY

At this time, students have several things going: ads, getting to know their “families,” and their photo project. Once they’ve done their bell ringers, they will be working independently. Be sure to set deadlines for each of these and plan time for students to share their project. This is what yearbook is all about – management multiple projects at once to get it all done!

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What the COVID-19 Pandemic Did Not Change About My Classroom

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:42:50 GMT

What the COVID-19 Pandemic Did Not Change About My Classroom

The 2020-2021 school year was the year of the unexpected, the year of changes, the year of disappointments, the year of frustrations, and certainly the year of loss. It goes down in my book as the hardest year of my teaching career — that includes the first year I taught in middle school, the first year I was a lead in an inclusion classroom, the year I taught while building a house, the first year I was the new yearbook adviser, and the year I taught while having multiple surgeries for some serious medical issues. And let’s not forget that I actually contracted COVID-19 THE. FIRST. DAY. BACK of teacher in-service. However, I didn’t quit. I did survive, and I’m going back. That said, I am choosing to look at the positive — shall we say, “COVID Positive” — Bad pun. Anyway, despite all change that occurred this year — schedules, classrooms, assignments, students, and more, there were a few things that I’m thankful that the COVID-19 pandemic did not change about my classroom.

1. Flexibility

Plan A in teaching is always to be flexible; it’s basically the first thing you learn in pedagogy classes in college. This year, though, really put that to the test. In past years, being flexible might have meant needing to bring in a few more chairs at the beginning of the year when new students enrolled. It might have meant giving a few days extension on an essay because of snow. However, those examples of needing to be flexible were nothing compared to this year. Teaching in a pandemic looked more like planning lessons for half in-person learners and half distance-learners – multiple formats for materials and instruction. It looked like rolling deadlines, paper packets, Google conversions, video chats during planning, last-minute schedule changes, walking in to find your classroom closed for cleaning, sudden quarantines, and the list goes on and on. With every new challenge that the pandemic presented, I had to remind myself that I was thankful to be here for –and with– the kids. Without everyone’s willingness to bend and sway like a willow, there would have been moments when the entire tree would have snapped. The changes brought by COVID-19 might not all fade, either, and going forward, it will always be the year that taught how flexibility is a vital piece of the educational system as a whole.

2. Building Relationships

I realized very quickly the importance of seeing students’ faces. With masks on at the beginning of the year especially, it was so hard to get to know my students. That goes both ways, too. With my mask on, they couldn’t really see if I smiled or made a funny face (which I often do). It made it harder for me to learn their names quickly. Plus, at the beginning, I only saw them every other day. For some, I only saw a blank screen. Not being able to see their entire faces left me feeling confused and isolated. This taught me how much I depend on seeing their reactions when I teach — do they look confused, concerned, or checked out? I knew they must be feeling the same way about me, so I stood farther away from them than I normally do so I could take my mask off while delivering instruction. Nonetheless, even though it felt like it took longer to build classroom rapport and relationships, we got there. Before long, students were laughing and conversing with me, hanging out before or after class or school, and stopping by to say hello. According to a study conducted by West Point Academy for Teaching, “The rapport between instructor and student can be a significant factor in the overall learning and success of individual students. […] It can minimize anxiety, increase student participation, structure and encourage social interaction, foster a positive learning environment, and increase learning.” That “no smiling before Christmas” rule we tell new teachers just got the boot. Nothing can replace a warm expression on someone’s *full* face – no empty words, no cute classroom posters… nothing. I’m not a math teacher, but there is something to “face value” in teaching.

3. Differentiation

Whether I was the regular education lead in an inclusion classroom or not, differentiation has always been a top strategy in my classroom. We must meet students where they are and grow them. This growth occurs with carefully determined differentiation. Whether I am modifying reading assignments, offering choices, providing extended time, reading aloud, using rubrics, or consulting with students, differentiation is inherently part of the process. The COVID-19 pandemic did not change that about my classroom. If anything, it pushed me to evaluate that even more: I asked myself, ” What do students really need the most, and how can I do that for them in the most effective way?” There is no doubt that not all students were met this past year with best educational experience that they deserved, but by continuing the educational process as best as possible under the circumstances, students were given more than the pandemic tried to take away.

4. Collaboration

When you have to maintain 6-feet of distance or when some students are joining via a computer screen, it might seem like the perfect set of excuses to just cancel any kind of collaboration or group work at all. Confession: I just can’t function that way and neither can students. They are social creatures — and whether they’d like to admit it or not, that doesn’t mean social media, either. I like to use this process when teaching to maximize comprehension and analysis:

Read About It.

Think About It.

Talk About It.

Write About It.

Step #3 might have been easily thwarted in a COVID-19 classroom, but with certain safeguards in place, we successfully collaborated in my classroom this year. Sometimes I carried Chromebooks with online students to groups in class, so they could chat. Other times, we set up groups online and shared Google Docs for students to create together. There were online “escape rooms” or Kahoot competitions students logged onto to join in with the fun. We used digital task cards and participated in online gallery walks. ( See tips for using digital task cards here. ) It took a bit of extra work and planning, but allowing students the opportunity to hear from each other always enhances learning — and that’s a huge part of life. Through the quarantines, closures, and sheltering in place, we have more social isolation now than ever before, but that’s just not what humans really need. Dalai Lama the XIV said, “We human beings are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others’ actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others’ activities. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others.” Thankfully, I wasn’t willing to skip Step #3 above, and that bit of stubbornness forced me to learn new ways to collaborate that I’ll be able to use going forward.

5. DELIVERING CRITICAL CONTENT

It would have been very easy to make excuses about cutting out material. Honestly, some things did have to go. But, more than that, what I realized was that I had to make the most of the time that I did have with my students. Therefore, I planned a skeleton outline of the most important parts of my curriculum: grammar, reading, writing, and research. Perhaps that doesn’t seem like a very short list! I admit, it was hard to reduce; I did, though. For example, instead of including three texts for a unit, I just chose one. Instead of requiring four sources for a project, I required one or two. Instead of teaching full-length writing lessons, I supplemented with videos students could watch at home, then we used our time together to conference individually. Even when I couldn’t meet with them personally, I provided personal writing instruction for them via Google Classroom. ( Watch this video here of how I did it. ) Video lessons also helped with grammar instruction, too. ( See my Ten-Minute Grammar Post about how I use videos for covering grammar. ) I closed my classroom library for a short time, but still read to students on First Chapter Friday and encouraged them to load free library apps their devices. ( See also my tips for digital book clubs and free materials for a classroom library .) At the end of the day, the educational process needed to continue. Back in August, all we could hope was that in a short time “things would go back to normal.” Normal would be students taking standardized tests, graduating and going to college or the workforce, or selecting classes for their next year of school. In order to do all these things successfully, they needed the critical content that I and their other teachers were so desperately trying to provide through all the challenges.

This year brought many challenges to our classroom; we met those challenges with the vigor that educators do. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the scope of the educational system as a whole, but I’d be willing to bet that some of these things I mentioned above didn’t escape your classroom as a result either. The COVID-19 pandemic did make teaching difficult and often impossible, but it didn’t mar my outlook and calling to teach. I’m thankful for the things this year taught me and for the things that the COVID-19 pandemic did not change about my classroom.

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5 Ways to Use Class Time After the Yearbook is Complete

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:33:29 GMT

5 Ways to Use Class Time

After the Yearbook is Complete

The yearbook is complete, submitted, done. Now what? You have several months of school left, and you aren’t sure how to keep your students on task for the remaining days. Does this sound familiar? With spring delivery or even summer delivery books where students take yearbook/journalism as a class, it’s often difficult — and even daunting — to come up with creative and constructive ways to use that time. As we all know, doing nothing is not an option! In this blog post, I’ll share 5 ways to use class time after the yearbook is complete.

1. LISTEN

Podcasts are super popular right now, and I think they are here to stay! The trick with using podcasts in yearbook or journalism class after your big publication is off to the presses is in choosing a series. Another tip is to choose a podcast show or series that has its roots in journalism. We also enjoy podcasts because they are mobile. I grab a Bluetooth speaker with my phone, the kids bring chairs and Enos, and we head outside on a pretty day!

Here are several podcasts I have used in class after the yearbook has been submitted that I think work wonderfully in the yearbook classroom. Also hop over to my free podcast catalog for even more. Search “yearbook.”

This American Life , Serial Season 1 : This podcast series was done by journalist Sarah Koenig. It is a true crime series about a student who goes missing. Grab my free Podcast Series True Crime Listening guide here , and your students will be set. Rated for older students.

Up and Vanished , Season 1 : Another in the true crime family, this podcast is a series as well. In this one, a teacher goes missing. Rated for older students. *Tip: Consider sending a permission slip home for parents/guardians to sign for anything that might be questionable.

Dolly Parton’s America , Season 1 : Whether you are a Dolly fan or not, this podcast is perfect for notable interview techniques, storytelling, and just feel-good fun. As students listen, have them complete a double entry notebook for each episode. This listening strategy allows them to decide what’s unique, interesting, and special as they listen and note their reactions as well. A no-prep double entry notebook sheet is included in my Podcast Analysis Pack for Print and Digital . Rated for older students.

It’s All Journalism , Beyond the Ivory Tower , Picture This , Grammar Girl , or Stuff You Should Know . These are all content-specific podcasts where students could pick and choose something they are interested in learning about. The task: Write three interesting things from the podcast, two questions, and one other thing you wonder.

2. Read

Engaging students with something to read is never a bad idea! (You have to know I’m an English teacher, too!) However, you don’t have to be an English teacher to embark on a reading journey with your yearbook students after the yearbook is submitted. Novel selections abound and articles are endless online. Plus, to make your job easier, select a novel or article with a pre-made guide and/questions. Here are a few suggestions:

Columbine by Dave Cullen- This is a nonfiction piece that reads like fiction. It was ten years in development and researched by journalist Dave Cullen. In it, he dispels the myths that surrounded the tragedy with facts, evidence, and quotes – all while maintaining a safe distance from giving Eric and Dylan the credit and accolades they craved. Its detailed characterization draws readers in from page one, and its complex structure challenges them while keeping students engaged from beginning to end. You can get a complete unit guide here or just a set of questions/answers for each chapter here. Rated for older students.

Peeled by Joan Bauer – This fictional novel is perfect for piquing student journalists’ interested in mystery, and it ties in nicely with a journalism class. A reporter for her high school newspaper, Hildy Biddle is just waiting for a chance to prove herself as a real journalist. Not content just covering school issues, Hildy’s drawn to the town’s big story–the haunted old Ludlow house. It’s a fun, quick tale that you won’t have to beg your students to read. Rated for any age. A unit guide for this is on my to-do list.

Legacy versus Likes by Mike Smith – If you’ve never met or heard of Mike Smith, then now is your chance. Mike is full of energy and life and passion. This book, published via his work with Jostens, challenges readers to make a difference in the world. Along with engaging anecdotes and real-life tales of challenges and lessons learned, this book asks tough questions. My students were captivated and convicted by this quick read. The best thing about it for you is that it comes with built-in questions and tasks!

Article of the Week for Journalism – Reading pedagogy suggests that students are most successful with a text when they revisit it more than once with a different and meaningful purpose each time. The “article of the week” approach does that. With this resource, I’ve designed daily tasks unique to the articles linked in that give students a meaningful and skills-based reason to revisit the article of the week again each day. It’s no prep, and students learn vocabulary and figurative language in addition to the interesting weekly challenges that ask them to look beyond the article. Answers are included. Grab a set of 9 or the entire bundle!

Article of the Week for High School (General)

The New York Times also offers daily current events and self-guided lessons of the day . You could mix these up a bit and use their picture of the day as well.

Fire is such an important element in the novel Fahrenheit 451 , so I don’t want students to miss its value as a literary element; thus, that understanding is further enhanced by gaining scientific knowledge about how fire works. From the first page, we track fire as a motif throughout the novel, and then near the end, I bring in a scientific article that explains how fire works. By then, they have a full picture and lots of textual evidence to make connections.

3. WATCH

You just can’t wrong with a movie (or two) every now and then. Movies really do provide numerous opportunities for learning, and I am an advocate of using them as a text. I either have movie guides made for specific movies, or I grab one of my movie guides that go with any movie . I like to use movies that in some form or fashion relate to journalism, yearbook, photography, or media. If I have a group of mostly seniors, I’ve sometimes used that to inspire my choice. Along those same lines, it does not have to be a movie; you can also use documentaries. Amazon, iTunes, and Youtube have numerous documentaries that students find interesting. Below are a few that I have on hand for using in my yearbook class after the book is complete. These are all for older students.

Age of Adeline (Fiction), Photography connection

Memory Keeper’s Daughter (Fiction), Photography connection grab my free movie guide

Campus Confidential (Fiction), Journalism connection

Cyberbully (Fiction), Media connection, grab my no-prep guide here

The Pursuit of Happyness (Fiction), Connection for senior students

Searching (Fiction), Media connection

Ivory Tower (Docudrama), Connection for senior students

The Social Dilemma (Docudrama), Media connection

Just Mercy (Based on a true story), Journalism connection

WACO (iTunes docudrama series by CMT/Paramount), Journalism connection

Columbine 20/20 Interview Documentary with Sue Klebold, Journalism connection, grab my free guide here

Any TED Talk

Mean Girls 2, Journalism connection

4. SELL BOOKS

When the yearbook is done, you can’t ignore the second biggest task of the year: selling books! Whether you have been hosting sales campaigns throughout the year or not, now you have time to focus on it specifically. Be sure to reach out to all students. Develop a plan to contact each one. I like to assign my staffers groups of students to reach out to during our last big sales push. We also do an “adopt-a-student” promo, where we ask for community members to donate money for our lower-socioeconomic senior students to receive a book for free. I tell those students they were given a “book scholarship.” We usually have in the neighborhood of 15-20 books donated. Get the student body “bought in” with these ideas:

Funny sales flyers in the hall or on student cars and lockers

Yard signs

Social media posts (Canva is free for making eye-catching designs)

Videos

Ice cream party for all buyers

Countdown wall displays

Cover reveal

5. PLAN DISTRIBUTION

Hopefully, distribution day is a huge event at your school, too! And if not, now might be the perfect time to plan for one. I have an entire blog post on distribution, so I’m going to link it here. Definitely hop over and give it a read. This is certainly an important way to use class time after the yearbook is complete; you want students to be excited about picking up the book you’ve worked so hard to create!

Hopefully, these 5 ways to use class time after the yearbook is complete will help you and your staff make the most of the last few days at the end of the year. If you have clever ways you use class time after the yearbook is submitted, drop a comment below!

Listen to a summary of this post on Instagram.

In my A Rose for Emily unit , I bring in a nonfiction article about a woman who couldn’t let go of her dead family member either and a poem from Emily Dickinson wherein the speaker wishes to be alone. Here, I’m making the story relevant and extending our study on characterization: What motives do they share for this behavior and why? Why do they choose isolation? This technique opens up a whole new world of analysis.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDCSlVIneld/

It’s important to conduct a close reading of each text individually first before comparing texts or integrating the information from the layer. Teach the process; teach students how to compare/contrast and explain why. We want students to be successful and really experience the higher order thinking that studying paired texts can offer, so we have to be prepared to teach those skills explicitly first. This means it could actually take a week or more to walk students through close reading and annotating each text individually, especially if it is going to be part of an in-class unit. Check out my Textual Analysis Worksheets if you don’t teach these texts I shared. You’ll find tools for comparing your favorite text pairs.

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How to Re-Purpose Lesson Plans & Materials for Digital Classrooms

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:15:31 GMT

How to Re-Purpose Lesson Plans &

Materials for Digital Classrooms

Whether you are teaching via full remote learning, on a hybrid schedule, or blending your in-person classes with virtual classrooms , you’ll need your lesson plans and materials ready for digital classrooms. The good news is — you can re-purpose lesson plans and materials for digital classrooms without reinventing the wheel or making all new activities, worksheets, files, etc. In this blog post, I hope to share some hacks you can use to easily convert, edit, and share what you have from your traditional classroom right into your digital classroom.

1. CHECK TERMS OF USE

This is a quick disclaimer and gentle reminder to be sure to check the terms of use and/or copyright information on your files before posting anything online. Most files (especially those that I create and sell and many others sold or shared on the TPT Marketplace ) allow teachers to upload/import into a password-protected learning management system to share with your students. They likely don’t permit sharing from classroom to classroom or teacher to teacher, though. So, before you do any re-purposing, just have this info in mind.

2. USING PDFs DIGITALLY

Many files are in PDF format for various reasons, usually because that format is universal across platforms, computer types, various LMS, etc. Often, they are in PDF format because they use special fonts, art or formatting, etc. that requires the pages to be flattened and locked. In that case, I don’t recommend using a PDF converter because that will #1 violate terms of use and #2 mess up the pages. However, you don’t really have to go to all that trouble. Upload your PDF document into your drive or digital binder as is. You’ll share or assign the file to students, and they will answer on a separate Google Doc or whatever Doc format you use. It’s really that simple!

You can grab these daily language proofreading starters in my Ten-Minute Grammar Program Pack . They actually come in 100% editable format. There are also PDF annotators such as PDF Candy or Kami and other apps that allow students to write on the pdf, save as a picture, and submit. Many of those do require an account or payment for long-term use. If you have access to those in your school, that would be a perfect way to go, though. If not, just go the simple route and use those PDFs the way they are!

3. USING EDITABLE FILES DIGITALLY

If you have files that are in editable format (i.e. Word Docs or PPT Slides), then those will be very easy to upload or import into your LMS. The video tutorial below shows how I do in Google.

In Google Drive, you also have the option to import pages in your Doc or Slides file. Once you’ve done that, the new digital file will be 100% editable and ready to use with students. There’s no extra work to do.

4. CONVERTING FILES FOR DIGITAL USE

There may be an instance where you do want your files to actually be designed for digital interaction: quizzes, worksheets, sorting. In those cases, there are a few hacks you can do to get those PDF and/or editable files converted into digital format. If a file is in PDF format, and you want to make it so that students can type their answers on the worksheet, it will involve a little bit of prep work. Many of my ready-made-for-digital activities are created this way, and it is really worth the time invested because it’s super easy for students to complete once the work is done. This tutorial shows how I convert PDFs into digital worksheets.

Another time when you might need files to be specifically digital is for quizzes and tests. In this case, you could type every assessment question into your Google Form individually, or you could try this hack: use the picture feature. The tutorial below shows how I do it.

Grab the Great Gatsby sketch notes in my The Great Gatsby unit plan and my ready-made-for-digital grammar quizzes in my Ten-Minute Grammar Program bundle . I also have ready-made-for-digital Grammar Practice Worksheets as well that are no prep at all for you.

5. SHARING AND USING THE RE-PURPOSED FILES WITH STUDENTS

Depending on your LMS and platform, the techniques might a little different for getting the digital files out to students. With Google, you can create force copy links (shown in the video above called “Importing Editable Files”), which requires students to make a copy for their own drives. Google Classroom has a feature for you to add/attach the file from your own drive and you can select for Classroom to make a copy for each student automatically when they click it. If you don’t give students copies, they will be making changes that everyone else can see. Again, remember that sharing of resources digitally needs to be done in a password-protected environment and that most resources are permitted for your students but not for sharing among teachers or classrooms. It’s an honor system, of course, but we want to model responsibility and integrity for our students.

Many curriculum developers, like myself, are creating and converting ready-made digital files. However, though, it’s all a process, and if you are like me, you may need something fast. With these tips and hacks, you’ll be able to do a little easy prep work to re-purpose lesson plans and materials for digital classrooms so your students can sail into success in their remote classrooms. While moving to distance learning might not be an ideal situation in some scenarios, getting work out to students is all about working smarter, not harder and making the best of any situation. That’s a lesson for in-person and remote-learning classrooms alike.

For a few more tips and tricks for remote teaching, take a look at this quick and free video tutorial.

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How to Select & Use Paired Texts for Teaching Reading

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:02:10 GMT

How to Select & Use Paired

Texts for Teaching Reading

In my previous post on the Benefits of Using Paired Texts to Teach Reading , I discuss the advantages of this brain-based teaching method. It’s no secret that offering ways for students to making connections — text to text, text to self, and text to world — is an opportunity to exercise higher order thinking skills. Teaching shouldn’t happen in a vacuum, even though sometimes it does as we stress to move units along the conveyor belt, more acceptably known as pacing guides. Often and unfortunately, we teach one skill and move quickly onto the next. Confession: I don’t teach that way. Everything must build and connect from unit to unit, text to text, and skill to skill. That’s why paring texts is so important, and in this final post in the series, I want to share the practical, actionable ways that I select and use paired texts for teaching reading.

1. SELECT TEXTS THAT HAVE RELATED THEMES

Most standards now require something to the effect of, “Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.” In fact, in the CCSS, theme is mentioned in the second anchor standard for reading: “Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development.” There is no denying that teaching theme is an important part of teaching reading. Over the years, I’ve noticed that when teaching theme with one text, students do slowly grasp the concept. But, when I add that next layer of a paired text and ask them to consider what universal message the texts share, that’s when the light bulbs ding on. Since texts can have multiple themes, you’ll want to pick the one that is most overarching and/or universal — And the one that you really want students to focus on for the duration of the unit and possibly the one they will focus on for their final culminating task.

In my Lord of the Flies unit , for example, we read Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask,” and I ask students to synthesis between the novel and play how the concept of hiding behind a mask emerges as a theme.

2. SELECT PAIRED TEXTS THAT PROVIDE AUTHENTIC AND RELEVANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION

When I start a unit that requires a bit of background information for students to fully understand the setting, conflict, etc., I like to provide that information. Rather than “read” a Power Point lecture to them, I bring in an article or excerpt from a history book that provides the content they need — only they are doing the work extracting that information instead of me just reading it to them. Sometimes, I can’t always find one text that does the job, so I’ll write up a faux article using several sources. If you have accelerated students, that would be an excellent task for them to do.

For example, when we read Their Eyes Were Watching God , I want students to understand the historical context of the Muck Bowl, so they can fully appreciate the conflict Tea Cake and Janie experience. Here I used several sources to craft this faux textbook excerpt. On the worksheet, I ask students questions about the historical content itself, and then they apply that information to the novel.

3. SELECT PAIRED TEXTS THAT REPRESENT ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW OR VOICE

One of the benefits I mentioned the first post in this series of using paired texts for teaching reading was that pairing texts allows for diversity. If your curriculum calls for authors who are too close in ethnicity, gender, etc., pairing a text can open the door for more diversity. It also allows students to see themselves and see topics from different points of view.

In my Trifles unit , I pause to read Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Sympathy.” Not only does this poem connect based on theme, but it relates the experience of being trapped from a Black man’s point of view — totally different from the white female author’s voice in the story. We can discuss how anyone can feel trapped and for so many different reasons. This type of paring really does open students’ eyes and free up higher levels of learning.

4. SELECT TEXTS WITH INTERTEXTUALITY

Intertextuality might be an unfamiliar word, but it is a very common practice in the literary world. There is certainly “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). The term was first coined by the Bulgarian-French philosopher and literary critic, Julia Kristeva in 1966. According to Kristeva, when readers read a new text, they are always influenced by other texts, which they have read earlier. When a writer borrows from other texts while writing his/her own, he/she attaches layers of meanings to his/her work as well. When that work is read under the light of the others, it gives it a new meaning and interpretation.

Thus, intertextuality is the relationship between texts, especially literary ones. In fact, it can be argued that every text is a product of intertextuality. It’s that feeling of Deja vu: You’ve read this somewhere before. Well, you likely have. Essentially, intertextuality is the retelling of an old story or the rewriting of popular stories in a different set of contexts. It is not a remake, though, as in the instance of one of the Hunger Games books being made into a movie or the various remaking of every Disney movie ever from cartoon people to real people. It’s also not allusions to other texts, either, as in the way Collins infuses elements from Fahrenheit 451 or Greek Mythology in The Hunger Games. However, the entire concept and plot of The Hunger Games is a modern retelling of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery — that’s intertextuality. Another example of intertextuality is between Miller’s The Crucible and Jodi Picoult’s Salem Falls: modern setting, same plot, conflict, and themes. More examples include:

Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby retold in Sparks’s Dear John

Shaw’s Pygmalion created into My Fair Lady and again into the movie Miss Congeniality

Shakespeare’s Hamlet rewritten into The Lion King

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retold in the Twilight Series

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus

Anderson’s The Snow Queen refashioned into the beloved Frozen

Because you must experience both texts from beginning to end to fully grasp and evaluate the intertextuality, it can take some planning in how to pair these types of texts in the classroom. If it’s a movie remake, that’s the perfect way to close the unit. Ask students to make a Venn diagram to compare/contrast the differences or have them create a mirrored set of plot charts. I’ve also shared the modern versions as part of my First Chapter Friday readings and had students check out the paired text. You could also do it for out of class reading for advanced students or as summer reading, as well.

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5. SELECT PAIRED TEXTS TO ADVANCE A CHARACTER STUDY

The characters are why we read: we fall in love with them, we love to hate them, we want them to survive, we share in their triumphs, we feel their joy and sadness. Selecting paired texts to teach characterization is an excellent way to enrich the reading experience. You can have students compare how the two main characters handled situations different and why. You can have students study the way the author chose to develop them: point of view, descriptions, voice, and more. Sometimes you can compare characters in different texts from the same author or characters from two entirely different texts. It depends on your purpose.

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Aside from all the standards that are covered when you begin adding layers and pairing texts to teach reading, imagine the doors that you’ll be opening up for students — doors (in the form of novels, articles, movies, poems, etc.) that they may have never “walked through” before. As English teachers we love reading and know it’s value; pairing texts to teach reading is just a sneaky way to share that love ♥ Speaking of sharing — please drop your favorite paired texts for teaching reading in the comments below!

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Benefits of Paired Texts for Teaching Reading

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:47:55 GMT

Benefits of Paired Texts for Teaching Reading

Paired passages or paired texts are texts that are connected in some way. When the Common Core State Standards rolled out years ago, the concept of teaching with paired texts surfaced. At first, English teachers were worried that the demand for more nonfiction and the requirements of CCSS, R.9 would limit the amount of fiction they could teach. Over time, it became evident that pairing texts and teaching students how to “analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take” (CCSS, R.9) actually has more advantages than disadvantages. Many states are moving away from CSCC (mine included), but the standard of pairing texts is still required. Not only does pairing texts meet this specific standard, but also it allows you to address several others at once. Once I began to see the benefits of paired texts for teaching reading, it stuck. This is one strategy that will be a permanent part of my teaching reading toolbox. In this blog post, I’ll share why I use paired texts to teach reading in my secondary English classroom.

BENEFIT OF PAIRED TEXTS #1: DIFFERENTIATION

The origin of pairing texts was derived from the need to make reading instruction more rigorous, and adding layers of texts and passages certainly can do that. However, I think one of the benefits of paired texts for teaching reading is that, if chosen carefully, this is a strategy that teachers can use to reach all learners whether they are excelling or emerging readers. For example, if you are reading a longer text, struggling readers might get lost in the volume of material. Pairing that text with another shorter, simpler, or less complex text with a similar plot, conflict, or theme could give those students a stepping stool for understanding the larger text. In this way, a paired text acts as a scaffold for the emerging readers.

On the flip side, if you are teaching a piece of fiction to excelling readers, you can bring in a more complex nonfiction piece to challenge those students. Here a paired text challenges students and increases the depth of knowledge.

BENEFIT OF PAIRED TEXTS #2: DIVERSITY

Many reading lists are derived from the traditional canon of literature, and if we are being honest, that list doesn’t present as very diverse. However, districts set those reading lists for various reasons, and teachers are required to comply. I am pro-canon, but not in the sense that I don’t recognize that there are gaps in the traditional canon. It’s our my job to erase those gaps and fill them with more timely and audience-appropriate choices. Pairing texts allows me to expand by adding material with a variety of authors and characters. If your reading list is heavily balanced or fixed on while male authors, it is 100% possible to branch out with pairings by women, Black, and multicultural authors.

Addressing and acknowledging diversity for me isn’t just about checking the box, so to speak, either; the richness of a diverse reading list is interesting and inspiring, and I wholeheartedly believe it is one way to dismantle the perpetuation of racism in curriculum. The benefit of paired texts to teaching reading in this case is twofold: it opens students eyes to others’ experiences, and it acts a mirror for all students. Inclusion starts in our classrooms.

BENEFIT OF PAIRED TEXTS #3: REAL-WORLD READINESS AND RESEARCH

Whether students are on the track to a college or career, they will likely be required to sift through multiple pieces of information for various reasons. If students head to college, they will undoubtedly be asked to read multiple reports and synthesize in science class. If students head to work, it is very likely they will be required to manage reports, emails, or sets of directions to accomplish their job. Pairing a memoir or movie with a primary source document teaches students to look for more. It teaches the need for and value of research and facts. It teaches the need for awareness and unpacking of current events. When we make the choice to pair texts that take students beyond the four corners of one text to open up a new world of information, bias, points of view, and more, then, in our English classrooms, we are not only increasing their reading comprehension, but also, we are preparing them to be successful beyond our classrooms — in the real-world.

BENEFIT OF PAIRED TEXTS #4: CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Sometimes I think students have the mistaken idea that each class they take operates in a silo. We know that couldn’t be further from the truth, but how much effort do we make to show students that subjects are connected? We are busy, right? We have enough of our own standards to cover, right? But what if we can cover those standards and have students make connections? According to an article by bigthink.com , “Pattern recognition is one of the things human brains are exceptionally good at.” When we offer students texts sets from different subjects — a scientific info text article on how fire works when reading Fahrenheit 451 , for example — they begin to make connections.

Pairing texts from other subjects also expands vocabulary. Students see how their knowledge of domain-specific vocabulary in one subject can actually help them process information in another subject. Higher order thinking skills involve applying knowledge, finding connections between facts, understanding the material, and manipulating the information in order to find new ways to discover solutions to problems. Pairing texts opens the door for all of the above.

BENEFIT OF PAIRED TEXTS #5: STUDENT INTEREST

Teacher enthusiasm, past experiences, schema, text selection, reading ability: all of these play a role in students’ enjoyment of reading. Pairing texts from different genres, authors, etc. is like providing a buffet of texts for students to sample. Eventually, students will find something they like, and hopefully, they will continue reading down that path. I love it when students ask me, “Does that author have anything else?” or “Could I borrow that book to read it again?”. When we are willing to step out of our comfort zones, students see that. It models for them how to be open-minded and how look for more. At the end of the day, my number one goal — standards aside — is for students to enjoy reading.

When the choices we make regarding curriculum and pedagogy benefit the children we teach, then we know we have might the right choice. Access the next blog post in this series for practical tips for how to select and use paired texts in the classroom. Be sure to follow along my blog by subscribing to email notifications, so you won’t miss new posts.

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Interview with Yearbook Representative

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:38:30 GMT

Interview with a Yearbook Representative

Creating and running a successful yearbook program does require a lot, but it doesn’t have to be a mystery. While this post isn’t designed to promote one specific yearbook publishing company, I am happy to share some expertise from my amazing Jostens representative. With 14 years in the industry, she has seen a thing or two and knows a thing or two about yearbooks. In this interview with a yearbook representative, I am happy to introduce my long-time yearbook rep and friend: Rebecca Kilday. Below she shares peeks into the industry and her job, insightful advice, and practical tips for new and seasoned yearbook advisers.

Meet Rebecca Kilday

1. How did you move into this position?

"I was the editor of my high school yearbook and had a great relationship with my adviser. She, in turn, had a great relationship with our school’s Jostens representative. He went to her to ask if there was a former student of hers she could recommend to help him run his territory. She recommended me. I worked for him for 4 years helping him run his territory, then I got the opportunity to run my own territory 10 years ago."

2. Describe what a consultant/representative does.

"A representative has many responsibilities—some visible to the customer, and many not visible. First and foremost, we are charged with helping manage the entire yearbook process from beginning to end each year for our customers. This includes training on technology, setting up marketing strategies, providing creative and educational resources (artist visits, journalism curriculum, etc), and clearly communicating and managing the school’s budget. Then, if that all goes well—we are in charge of making sure the school’s books are delivered on time!

The other major prong of a representative’s job is sales. We are charged with meeting with administrators and advisers to convince them to switch from their current companies to work with us. This is a much more competitive process than most people realize. It is common for particular schools to take years to make a change. "

3. What is the hardest part of your job? What is the best part of your job?

"The hardest part of my job is being responsible for things I can’t control. For example, I’m responsible to my customers to make sure they get their books on time, but I can’t physically make them meet their deadlines! That’s just one of many factors I can’t control but am held responsible for.

It’s hard to choose just one best part of my job, but I’ll boil it down to the beginning and the end. I love the creative process at the beginning of the year. I love the planning. I love the dreaming. I love when everything is possible, and nothing has gone wrong yet! Then, I love delivery. I love seeing students’ faces when they see the book they have been working on all year for the first time. It never gets old, and I never take it for granted. "

4. What advice would you give a new yearbook adviser?

"Be patient with yourself and with the process. If I were to sit down with every new adviser and tell them EXACTLY what the year would bring—no one would ever stick around! But with the resources and support that are available, anyone can have a successful first year. It’s just about being patient, letting your students do the work, and trusting the process."

5. What encouragement could you give to a yearbook adviser that is dealing with a difficult staff, failing program, lack of support from the administration, etc.?

"This is a tough one because it’s the question I can relate to the least. I never understand why the administration doesn’t support a yearbook program. The yearbook is the most visible public relations piece your school produces! I also have never been a teacher, so I don’t know what it’s like to work with a difficult staff. I will say that my advice would be to run your yearbook staff like you run your other classroom subjects. You wouldn’t tolerate late work or poor behavior in your English class, so don’t tolerate it with your yearbook staff. A “failing” program implies some financial issues. Work with your representative to come up with some strategies to improve ad sales, book sales, or whatever you need to do. It’s your representative’s JOB to make sure your program is solvent."

6. If a staff is struggling with meeting deadlines, what do you suggest they do to get things on track?

"Deadline performance is tough across the board. When a school falls behind, I like to make small goals for them that they can achieve every week—maybe even at the end of class every day, to get back on track. I identify “priority” pages for them. These are pages that will complete signatures, or they are pages where they aren’t waiting on any additional content (for example, a “first day of school” spread should be finished within 2 weeks of the first day of school). If you can focus on completing the pages where you already have your information, you’ll be able to pop yourself back on track pretty quickly."

7. What is the most successful strategy you’ve seen a school do that worked really well for selling books?

"I haven’t seen a “silver bullet” for selling books, but the schools that have the most success do several things:

-They offer their books for sale online. Post that website EVERYWHERE.

-They send a mailer directly to the students’ homes at least twice during the school year.

-They have active social media accounts where they are promoting not only the sale of the book but the creation process.

-They set aside a week or two in the school year to accept check/cash payments at school. They promote the heck out of those weeks.

Remember that parents are usually the ones who are buying the yearbook, not the students. Reaching beyond the building to promote your book is what will drive your sales to the next level. "

8. Yearbooks are all about tradition. What traditions are worth keeping, and what would you like to see changed and why?

"I love the tradition of a yearbook presentation or reveal to the student body. It is such a celebration of the book, but it is also an important recognition of the students who worked so hard to put it together. I love signing parties, yearbook pep rallies, and whatever the tradition to herald in the delivery of the yearbook, I love it.

I would like to see the idea of everything about the book being secret go away. We depend so much on students outside of the yearbook staff to contribute content to our books (quotes, stats, pictures from Instagram) that I think they deserve to feel like they are also included in the creation process. Keeping your cover a secret from those students seems obsolete to me these days. "

9. How have you seen yearbooks change over the years, and how do you see them changing in the future?

"Yearbooks are so much more complex than they used to be. We’re encouraging 3 times coverage at MINIMUM. We ask students to tell the story beyond the obvious, we encourage them to mimic designs from professional publications and websites, we expect them to write journalistically—it’s a LOT! My old high school yearbooks look so juvenile compared to what schools produce now.

I think we are continuing to see yearbooks strive for relevancy. I think companies are going to continue to innovate with new ways to include the student body in the creation process. It’s interesting because I’ve been around long enough to see the panic over thinking yearbooks were going to be gone within a decade because of the advent of social media. What we learned instead is that students and parents see the value in a tangible keepsake—not a fleeting app. While I do see an age of innovation connected with the yearbook, I also see a deeper connection with our printed product. "

10. What else would you like yearbook advisers and their staffs to know?

"We feel about our yearbook staffs the way you feel about your students. The schools I work with are MY schools. I love them, I support them, I am PROUD to be associated with them. Your representatives worry about your program, they fight for your program (believe me), and they are so proud to be a part of your program. Never underestimate how much your rep cares about your yearbook."

—

If you are looking for more information about starting a yearbook program or strengthening your yearbook program, take a look at these related blog posts.

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Everything You Need to Know About Yearbook Distribution Day

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:29:24 GMT

E verything You Need to Know About Yearbook Distribution Day

Yearbook distribution day is both exciting and worrisome for a yearbook adviser. There are so many things that can go wrong, but they don’t have to! I don’t have it all figured out, but over the years I have developed some methods and strategies to help make the day a success. I’m sharing those Yearbook Distribution Day Tips and Best Practices here!

PRE-PLANNING FOR YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION DAY

It just takes a little bit of work upfront to make things go smoothly on yearbook distribution day.

Halt sales – We sell online and at school, and what’s sold at school we enter into our publisher’s website to make keeping track easier. A few days before distribution I stop online sales and in-school sales, so I can get my lists finalized and don’t oversell. *It’s also important to note that if you continue in-school sales even weeks before the event, you need to only collect cash in case checks are written without sufficient funds.

Checking sales reports – The first thing I do is match my collection logs and receipts with what’s been entered online. I make sure everything has been entered, and that nothing has been entered twice.

Notifying students – Once I have a master list of books sold with student names, I typically post those in the hallway for students to check. It really helps reduce anxiety on distribution day for students who think they bought a book but didn’t. It is also another way of double-checking myself for mistakes. During the school closure event of 2020, I collected all the emails of students and sent emails to buyers and nonbuyers. That worked really well, and I will send emails going forward as well.

Checking books – Once the books arrive, I take a couple of days and have staffers go through every box and every page. We wear gloves and start flipping. In the past, we’ve had “oops” books or damaged books, so it’s worth taking the time to prevent issuing damaged books before students sign them, etc.

Printing checklists – Every student who picks up a book must sign, so I print their names in a large font with a place for them to sign on charts. Alphabetically by last name usually works best.

Signage – We have personalized and non-personalized books, so we make large signs for each section (we reuse them every year). We also divide those areas up into even smaller groups by last name, so print signs on colored paper for the letter groups.

SET UP (ON THE MORNING OF YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION DAY)

On yearbook distribution day, you’ll need a large enough area to set up hundreds of books for hundreds of students to pick up! Plus, you’ll want the area to look neat and organized.

Separate personalized and non-personalized books.

Tape your checklists down to your tables and provide pens. Be sure to take those up at the end to keep as a record.

We set up outside our gym in the lobby, so there is plenty of room to move around.

I station staffers behind each checklist, and then we have runners and box managers.

Leave the books in the boxes. It makes it harder for people passing by to grab one.

HANDING OUT YEARBOOKS ON DISTRIBUTION DAY

You’ll want all hands on deck for handing out the books! We are typically handing out books at the end of the day, and students get an hour or so to sign at school. Therefore, we have to move quickly, but accurately.

We call students in waves – seniors first, then on down the line.

Students form a line according to their last name, and staffers serve one student at a time.

Students must sign for their book, and staffers must make sure they identify the student before handing them a book.

We never let the students reach into the boxes to get their book.

Never give a book to anyone other than the student whose name is on the list.

Never give a book out early- even just an hour early. There’s always tomorrow to pick up the book.

When you are finished handing out books, take just a minute and label any with sticky notes any uncollected books. This helps me identify how many books I have left to sell, and it makes grabbing books for students the following day a lot faster.

Be sure to collect your sign-out sheets. You’ll need them for pick-ups in the following days.

Always wait to sell extra books after distribution has ended. Remember to add those purchases to your checklists and have students sign.

Any issues or questions are directed to me. I don’t want my staffers dealing with problems; this is their day to shine. If ANYTHING comes up (name not on the list, can’t find my name, can I get someone else’s book, I don’t like these pictures, my name is spelled wrong, etc.), I tell them to send the student to me.

YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION DAY EVENT SPECIAL TOUCHES

Since we host a huge yearbook distribution day party during school hours, I get to do a few fun extras.

Speech – I always ask a senior staffer to write a short speech that explains the book’s theme. I also remind students during this time to thank the staff and put their names in their books first thing!

Awards – If the staff earned any awards during the year, or for the past year’s book, I love to have our yearbook company rep come and present that.

Honor the seniors – Distribution is a fun, little way to kick off “senior season” for our students. Usually, yearbook distribution immediately follows state testing, so it’s perfect timing to being honoring the seniors. We hold distribution in the gym, and when students come in, they all sit in the middle section. After we’ve done announcements, we do a senior walk. Seniors line up on one side of the gym, we start the graduation song, and they march around making a loop and out the opposite side’s door (which goes to the lobby where my staffers are waiting). The teachers usually line up at the exit door to form a sort of tunnel for high fives. (Yes, my seniors get to do the senior walk. The underclassmen staffers run to the stations after announcements. Then the senior staffers join to distribute.) During the school closure of 2020, we honored our seniors on porch pick-up day by lining the lawn with signs including their pictures and names. I also collected senior signatures and made a “faux” end sheet for them since they didn’t get to sign each other’s books.

Other – Play music. Give away pens for signing. Sell smoothies or have a shaved ice truck come. Invite ALL students!

THANK YOUR STAFF

It doesn’t have to be much, but remember these folks did a ton of work to get to this point, and they give up a bit of their signing time to distribute and clean up (I do try to bring in a few teachers to help with clean up, so I can let the staffers go as soon as possible to the party). I usually have a small gift for them before book pick up, and we have a little party with food/snacks. Take some fun group pictures of them, too, as a keepsake.

You and your staff have worked very hard to create a beautiful time capsule for your student body. So, however you decide to make your distribution day special, remember to have fun!

Check out my yearbook curriculum for ready-to-go distribution tools. Also, be sure to click the link to join my Yearbook Advisers Facebook Group for a live webinar with lots of great discussion on this topic.

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Tips for Distance Learning Book Club Meetings

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:18:21 GMT

Tips for Distance Learning

Book Club Meetings

Hosting a book club meeting with my high school English students is generally the highlight of my week. There is the possibility, however, that for some reason — sickness, school cancellations, breaks, etc. — that your regular in-class book club meeting might not take place within the four walls of your classroom. ( If you want to read more about what my traditional books clubs are, check out this post first . ) That doesn’t mean, though, that you and your students have to miss your book activities and discussions. Here are five tips, ideas, and strategies for making your online distance learning book club meetings a success.

Reading Schedule

A reading schedule is always part of my traditional classroom book club process , but when students are tackling it on their own, they will need a more defined reading regiment. When students are learning to juggle their own schedule and they have multiple assignments to complete, “rolling deadlines” might be a detriment to your book club. So, the book club meeting can go as planned, we want students on the same page, quite literally. Flexibility is important in understanding not all students can and will work/read at the same pace, but just giving a day-by-day guide for pages that need to be read is a simple fix. Normally, I assign a certain set of pages to be read each week, and that works pretty well. In this distance learning environment, a calendar for daily pacing would be more beneficial.

Extra Support

While students are working through the reading and assignments alone, they will face a different set of challenges than they would in class. For book clubs , my students are always reading a book out-of-class, but they have more access to things they need such as dictionaries, art supplies, enthusiasm from the teacher and their classmates, classroom decor, hearing the text read aloud, and quick answers to their questions.

For difficult vocabulary, consider providing a list of words and their definitions up front.

If you are going to be assigning artsy tasks, be sure to offer students the opportunity to come pick up supplies.

Build excitement by sending encouraging messages, posting fun quotes from the book, sharing funny memes, or linking in video clips from the movie or of the author speaking.

With every novel/book club I start, I do just a little bit to decorate my classroom. With distance learning book clubs, I still want to do that. If you have posters that match your text, snap a picture of them and post on the wall of your online learning platform. If you are using Google Classroom, join my Teaching English Facebook Group , and get a set of “Love Reading” Google Classroom headers free!

Whether I am in school or at home teaching a book, I always link in the audio of the text. Providing students with audio for a text is controversial, but in this case for sure, we need to offer students as much support as possible. Audio will provide, at the very least, extra support for your struggling readers.

To answer as many questions as possible while students read, you might offer short summaries of the chapters or “reading points” to guide them along. Posing a daily question can also guide reading and lead to better comprehension.

Creative Activities

During my book club meetings , we always do some kind of activity that makes the text come alive and helps us do a deep dive into text: body biographies, “Twidder” summaries, paired poetry with guided annotations, making letter boards, etc. This is the time when students are reviewing what they’ve read, re-reading the text to formulate responses and cite, and just having a good time! During an online classroom situation, you don’t have to skip this; it just takes a little bit of re-thinking. What can students do at home that they would normally do in class, and how? Instead of cutting out magazine pieces for a character collage, have them make a meme. In place of acting out a readers’ theater script in class, have students create a video on their device and post it to their favorite social media app. Many paper-based tasks can also easily be uploaded or converted to digital. Check out my Creative Activities for Any Text Pack , which includes BOTH printable and digital activities (ready-made for Google). These often aren’t long activities — just enough to get the creative, critical thinking juices flowing. My friend Melissa over at Reading and Writing Haven also has some really practical tips for ways to create digital one-pagers over at her new blog post ( here. )

Discussions

I always enjoy seeing what students create during the activity portion of the book club meeting, but getting to TALK with students about a book is my favorite part. During the discussion, I am usually playing a facilitator role, but I do jump in every now and then to clarify, keep things going, pose an opposite viewpoint, or hold students accountable to the text. Click over to watch a free video tutorial where I explain more about classroom discussions. So, how can we host these beautiful discussions in a remote learning environment? Video chats using your chosen platform (Zoom, Google Meet, Social Media Groups etc.) is probably the go-to method. You could also start a group Google Doc, and students can have a conversation that way. Google Classroom has a feature where students can comment and respond to a stream post, if you allow open commenting. Within these platforms, though, you might face some challenges:

To support shy students, consider having every student come prepared with one thing they are wondering and one comment.

To support struggling readers, consider what their challenges are. Perhaps, struggling readers may not really be able to formulate a question, but they could write a favorite line/passage or something about a character that they like. I often find those topics spark a ton of discussion. You can also provide questions or small tasks for students. My Response to Literature Task Cards Bundle (Printable and Digital) would make that super easy for you.

To support students with limited or no Internet and/or limited access to a device, consider having them email or text you their comments questions prior to the virtual meet up. You can be their voice. Most online platforms will allow you to record the meeting, but again, if students have limited to no Internet access, they likely wouldn’t be able to view it. In that case, take notes during the discussion, so you could post those for students to read later.

My friend Lauralee at The Language Arts Classroom discusses use “live streaming” meetings to bring her virtual students into literacy time. Check out her method and more ideas over at her new blog post ( here. )

Assessment

My book club meetings always end with some sort of “formal” assessment; usually a short quiz or set of questions if we are at the end of a major section. The same will be true for my distance learning book club meetings. Google Forms will work wonders in this case, but you can also use digital worksheets, too. Members of my Teaching English Facebook group have access to a free Google Forms Quiz Template. If you are concerned about cheating or too much parental help, try long answers instead of short or multiple choice answers. These are often more involved and require more originality. Websites like Grammarly or TurnItIn have plagiarism checkers. There are also online quiz platforms that have timers, etc. to help prevent cheating. In assigning graded work while learning virtually, it’s important to have reasonable expectations.

In fact, in a virtual setting, whether you teach in an online school regularly or if you are teaching remotely due to school closures, setting reasonable expectations is key. Perhaps, the most important piece of keeping book club meetings going during distance learning is continuing to foster reading — and not just reading because we have to, but reading because we LOVE to. In everything I do to teach reading, I want students to enjoy it… to be transported on a journey to a place they’ve never been. Mason Cooley said, “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” After all, reading has always been about going the distance – while distance learning or not.

Find links to the Top 100 public domain books at Project Gutenberg , if your students don’t have a hard copy and you are looking for free, online materials. Openlibrary.org is also a free place for obtaining books online. Finally, Librivox offers full audio versions of public domain books.

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Interview with a Veteran High School Principal

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:03:12 GMT

Interview with a Veteran

High School Principal

As a classroom teacher, I often wonder “What is my principal really thinking?” So, I asked one, and I’m pleased she was open to discussion. Connie Dunn is a former principal of the middle school in my district. She was a principal for over ten years, and before that, she was a high school English teacher. She is now retired after serving 45 years in education. I’m really excited to share with you her thoughts, advice, and experiences in this interview with a veteran middle school principal. I think you’ll enjoy her candor and transparency as well.

Meet Veteran Middle School Principal, Connie Dunn

1. Describe your journey to administration, including your position now.

"My journey began in administration while I was working on my EDS. I had completed my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and did my EDS in Leadership. It was at that time that I was really interested in becoming a principal. During my teaching career, I have always taken leadership roles. When I had completed my degree, I continued to teach but thought constantly about becoming an administrator. I began applying for positions and became the Assistant Principal at the newly formed middle school in our county. Three years later the current principal was moved to another position, and I became the principal and have been there since. Prior to being an administrator, I taught high school English for 30 years. I taught regular English classes, AP classes, remedial classes, Applied Communication, and mythology. I also taught summer school classes. I will begin my 43rd year in the educational field this August."

2. What does a typical day look like?

"I usually arrive early each morning. I like to check the building and be there as teachers arrive. After morning announcements, I like to stroll through the building. From there, there is never a typical day. I may never have to deal with any issues and stay in my office to complete reports, etc. Or I may never sit down after I arrive because there are people or situations that need attention. A typical day is that I never know what to expect."

3. How do you support teachers?

"I support teachers first and foremost by listening to what they say. I want them to know that I am there for them and that I am hearing them. I make it a point each month to recognize teachers with some token of appreciation, from a Sonic drink to a full meal. But the biggest support I give is to listen and follow through. I begin every school year by conducting individual conferences with each teacher. The conversation is centered around, “What is your goal for the year, and how can I help you accomplish that?” It is a question that allows them to think about what they want to accomplish and that I will be there every step with them. I also established an active Leadership Team. This team of teachers can bring things to the table that I sometimes miss. I like for the Leadership Team to meet with teachers for input on scheduling, events, etc., and bring their ideas to the table."

4. What are your biggest challenges?

"My biggest challenges come from the lack of support from the community or negative comments about the school. Middle school is a difficult age level for students, and the changes taking place for students many times are projected as problems with the school community. We work consistently to support parents and students to change that perception."

5. How is being an admin different from being a teacher?

"Being an administrator is different from being a teacher because I work with all stakeholders. I must always know what is occurring in and around the building and classrooms. I must know what it takes to be proactive in not only giving students the best education possible but also to support teachers as they work with students. Additionally, I must be proactive in providing a safe environment for all. As a teacher, I focused on the students in my class and what it took to provide them the best education I could give them. I didn’t have to think about the daily operations of the building."

6. What has been your most successful moment as an administrator?

"My most successful moment as an administrator has been watching struggling students succeed with teachers who are caring and have helped them succeed. I have watched new teachers grow into strong leaders in the classroom. At the end of the day, success is measured by the level of those who are learning . "

7. How do you conduct, manage, and encourage communication between you and your staff?

"I grew up in a small rural community. I went to school in the same system in which I now work. I was able to return to my home and get a job teaching. I taught most of the teachers in the building where I am now the principal. I feel that this is an advantage I have as an administrator. My staff knows I will do what I say, and I listen to what they say. I have an open-door policy to encourage communication. Having a Leadership Team to serve as my liaison also helps keep an open line of communication."

8. What advice would you give to teachers who are selecting resources, curriculum, teaching tools, etc. for their classroom?

"Many times, as is the case in my system, the money for resources is not always available. I encourage teachers to use other teachers, to communicate with other systems, to share what they can. The best advice I have for teachers selecting materials for the classroom is to know the standards. If they do, they will be able to select quality resources that strongly, adequately, and effectively support teaching and learning."

9. What do you want to see in classrooms regarding discipline? What works? What doesn’t?

"What I seek in classrooms for strong discipline is a teacher who is confident in the content being taught and conducts himself/herself as a leader. Students perceive a teacher who is not confident or not a good leader. Teachers need to show students that you want them to succeed. When students are engaged in learning, discipline will take care of itself. What doesn’t work is trying to be a friend. Being a friend and being friendly are not the same thing. You can earn respect from students if you show you care about their education. Never give “free time.” Even reward time can be a learning experience. My advice is to ask yourself this: 'What do you want for these students, and how are you going to help them accomplishments that?'"

10. What else would you want teachers to know?

"I would like for teachers to know that “Teachers do hold the success for our future in their classrooms.” Challenge those minds. Teach students to think and seek not only answers but also to ask questions that lead to further thinking."

After the interview, Ms. Dunn said it was a bit difficult answering questions about herself. I get that. Principals and teachers aren’t typically focused on themselves, and we don’t often stop to think about why we do what we do. We chatted about how reflection, though, is such a huge part of growth for the person who is reflecting and those who benefit from the ideas shared out. The veterans in the profession have so much experience and knowledge to share; I encourage you to see those people out in your building and district. Thank you, Ms. Dunn, for being willing to reflect and share this point of view.

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Best Secondary Resources for Back-To-School

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 19:52:01 GMT

Best Secondary Resources

for Back-To-School

Planning for back-to-school just got easier with this carefully curated list of ideas, tips, suggestions, and resources for your secondary classroom – in any subject!

1. Teacher Planning & Organization

Calendars, planners, notes, Oh My! The list goes on and on for what the teacher needs to get organized and feel ready-to-go for the first days of school. For me, that’s my planner and my high-level curriculum map. In the past it has been hard to find a planner perfectly suitable to the unique schedules of the secondary world, so I made some. And then I made some more! Now I have a fun line of different themes tailored specifically to the various schedules in a middle or high school – in traditional and digital formats.

Choose a planner that works for you, and get comfortable with it. I like a planner that is only for planning because it helps me keep focused. Watch a quick Facebook live video where I explain how I set mine up , and I also wrote a blog post explaining how to get the most out of your planner. Read that post here .

My friend Lauralee over at Language Arts Classroom wrote about her process for classroom organization over on her beautiful blog. You can read her ideas here. And her back-to-school pack of goodies will establish consistency in your secondary classroom from the first day of school with this organizational bundle. Included are an editable presentation covering routines, procedures, and expectations; hallway passes; a parent letter; Google Classroom Backgrounds, and syllabus. The design is clean and simple and made with older students in mind. So pretty!

2. Classroom Decor

Decorating and organizing my classroom is probably one of my favorite things to do to get me in the mood for back-to-school. I don’t always do a lot with decor each year, but I always try to bring in one or two things new. I’ll pause here to address the camp of people that say, “It’s not about the room. The kids just want to meet you, the teacher.” That’s true… to some degree. However, I think the room needs to be as clean and organized as possible to create a welcoming environment, but I think the aforementioned sentiment comes from the place where teachers go regarding overspending and unhealthy comparing. To read more on that topic, swing by this blog post: How my trip to Magnolia Market helped me prepare for back-to-school. With that said, I’d love to share some cute student-centered and student-created classroom decor supplies and ideas. If an activity can double as classroom door (AKA – the kids create it and I don’t have to), then that is perfect to me. For all my secondary math friends out there, take quick trip over to Math in the Middle’s blog and read her post on setting up your middle school math classroom . She has tons of practical ideas and pictures! Scaffolded Math and Science does just that for her middle school math classroom with her back-to-school math pennants. Some pennants ask students to fill in information about themselves (name, birthday, favorite color, favorite class), some have numbers of the Fibonacci Sequence within the Spiral, and others are more open-ended for coloring or adding what you’d like to see on the pennants. Super cute!

O Some Great Stuff for English Teachers has her students create “Share Your World” globes that reveal their true identities. Perfect classroom decor and icebreaker all in one! I typically have my freshmen do a Soundtrack of their Life , but I think I’ll add this activity in as well!

The growth mindset trend continues to grow, and I think that’s because it’s actually something that makes sense and works! Chalk Dust Diva has a no-prep set of posters she made for any subject at the secondary level that you could use a million different ways! Promoting growth mindset is also an excellent way establish a positive classroom climate, and Chalk Dust Diva has a creative presentation and reading lesson that will teach your student what it means to have a “growth mindset” and how the views and beliefs they have about themselves impacts the decisions they make and the lives they lead.

Sometimes just putting a few posters around the room will help spruce things up a little, too, and I love reminding students that how we treat each other is so important. Grab my free anti-bullying awareness posters here . They are super easy to print and go!

3. Housekeeping

We all have to satisfy requirements from admin, ensure communication with parents, track data, make sub plans, keep attendance, and more. Here are a few resources to help make all that easier. Math by the Mountain keeps office hours, and she posts them for students and parents. This idea really helps students respect boundaries and take ownership . Elly Thorsen fixed up a parent and student survey in English and Spanish , which I think is awesome to already have that done! It provides information about how to contact family members, the strengths and areas of need of the student, and other helpful information to know as a teacher.

Unfortunately, a major issue we have to plan for is absenteeism. Free to Discover created a cute set of absentee slips to help students stay organized if they have been out. They are free; grab them here. I also write weekly assignments on the board each week and post the list on the Google Classroom stream. Having a method for tracking data is another item on our back-to-school list, and I like to set up a way for that to be student-centered. Take a quick look at a blog post I wrote about how I track data. It’s super simple, and best of all — it’s authentic and collected by students! Read that post here . Grab my data pack here … or get it in a money-saving bundle of other great back-to-school goodies for any subject at the secondary level here .

Sub plans are another item on my back-to-school to-do list as well. I usually grab the matching Sub Plans label (from the planners I make) and fix up a new 3-ring binder with the daily schedule, class rosters, seating charts, and school emergency plan. Then, I’ll add a few emergency lessons in another section just in case of an unexpected absence. In my high school English classroom, I typically use my Hot Topics Info Text lessons because they are no prep and have the substitute instructions sheet included.

4. Classroom Climate

From the moment students step foot in the classroom, they need to feel welcomed. Even though, we may not as secondary teachers do a hug or high five with each student who enters, we can set a positive and inviting tone. Icebreakers and team building games play a role in creating a welcoming environment for students. Teens love to talk, but they are pretty insecure when it comes to speaking up and out in class. These conversation starters from Pathway 2 Success are a flexible way to get kids chatting. The 170 task cards are the ideal mix of questions regarding self, home, friends, school, family, and beliefs. They would be awesome to help students share information, open up, and begin to form positive relationships.

Escape games are still really hot right now, and I know my kids would love to participate in one as an icebreaker on the first day of school. Presto Plans won’t let her middle school students zone out on the first days of school! Her back-to-school zombie escape game is highly engaging! It can be used in English class as it incorporates some ELA skills but can also work for any other subject.

Lit with Lynns created one that will work with any class. Her game includes a crossword puzzle, a completely EDITABLE syllabus accompanied by a syllabus scavenger hunt, and a get to know other students' activity. I love that it’s a quick 3-puzzle game, so it doesn’t take up too much time, but lets kids have a little fun! Barraug Books and Curriculum goes old school for her back-to-school team building game: Cup Towers . While students are racing against the clock to build the tallest cup tower, you are evaluating their strengths and interpersonal skills. It’s a win-win!

Since I’m not a science teacher, it didn’t even occur to me that part of setting up a classroom climate should include safety measures until I saw this science lab for teaching science lab safety from Strawberry Shake ! This resource contains everything you need to get your students started safely in your lab or science classroom, and I think your middle school science kids would love it.

Andrea from Right Down the Middle has a cool idea for incentives , which an excellent tool for positive classroom management. Students are able to earn reward incentives through their kind deeds, actions, and performance in class, then they cash them in at various times during the year.

Bell ringers are probably the #1 activity teachers need in their toolbox to set the stage for class right from the beginning of the year. Part of classroom climate, to me, is structure and order. Bell ringers say to students: We are going to be serious about work and have purpose in this class. Content-specific bell ringers are meaningful for your subject matter, and they teach students to get busy and orderly right from the start of class. Spanish teachers can also set things up for each day of school with Angie Torre’s Spanish Bell Ringers . They are packed full of tasks to challenge your high school students. I love use to grammar bell ringers with my high school English classes. Ten minutes each day covers a lot of ground in grammar, and my students are working from bell to bell.

Last but not least, are the classroom rules… but going over classroom rules doesn’t have to be boring! I created these fun emoji puppets that I use every year with my high school students on the first day of school.

If setting up station rotations is more your idea of fun for addressing classroom rules and procedures, check out of a few of these ideas: With Tween Spirit’s back to school stations , students search the syllabus, take selfies, and more. Room 213 sets up stations , too, and she has students setting goals, meeting classmates, and learning rules.

5. Activities & Lessons

A teacher can never have too many back-to-school activities, in my opinion. It’s like a girl with her shoes – something to match each outfit and/or situation. If you are like me, once you do a few icebreakers and go over classroom rules, you are ready to get to work. A good place to start is with review. Real Lessons for the Teenage Mind has a bundle of review activities for English skills that would be perfect for your middle school students because they combine authenticity, movement, competition, and collaboration to make sure your students stay engaged and build a positive classroom culture in the first week. I like to use my 100 Words Every High School English Student Should Know list as a pre-test to see where students are with their Tier 3 Vocabulary. Science teachers can review key terms and even lab safety with The Lab’s Back to School Science Color by Number Activity Bundle .

If you teach middle or high school Spanish, you are going to love The Stress-Free Spanish Teacher’s Spanish Llama Mystery Pictures. We all have that crazy picture day right at the beginning of school, and these are so clever. I laughed out loud when I saw them!

Once the first few days are over, then what? Start looking at long-term units and units that build on each other through the year. OCBeach Teacher has her students working on writing prompts that encourage students to think critically about situations requiring problem solving. Teacher at any high school subject who want to get in more reading and writing this year could take a look at my no prep Article of the Week Resource . Reading pedagogy suggests that students are most successful with a text when they revisit it more than once with a different and meaningful purpose each time. The “article of the week” approach does that. Get ready for standardized reading assessments and improve your students’ reading and comprehension skills a little at a time week over week!

I also love this email etiquette mini unit from Reading and Writing Haven . She said, “You might be surprised to learn that 91% of people check their email daily. It’s a real-life skill. Email is the #1 app used on a smart phone. In short, email matters. We need to teach students how to represent themselves well when communicating in this genre.” Melissa is passionate about helping teachers help kids gain the skills they need to function in the real-world, and this mini unit is the perfect way to set kids up for success during those first days of the year.

Luke Rosa from Students of History says, “As all teachers know, it is [going to be] a long school year. Over the course of [the next] 180 school days, there are bound to be point where both you as a teacher, and the students, are burned out, bored, or just otherwise not excited about the curriculum.” Bookmark his blog post, “6 Awesome Insta-Worthy Classroom Activities.” I plan to visit it throughout the year to give myself a little boost when the activity idea bank starts running low.

Here’s to a great school year. Please feel free to link up in the comments what you use and do successfully for back-to-school!

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Benefits of Google Classroom

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 19:17:44 GMT

Benefits of Google Classroom

A second title to this blog post could have been: Benefits of Blending Google Classroom with a Traditional Classroom. To elaborate, I teach high school English in a rural school district in the south. Every student doesn’t have his/her own iPad or Chromebook, but most have smart devices, and we have department sets of Chromebooks we can check out. We also have several labs throughout the school. So, when I use Google Classroom, it’s as an extension of my own traditional, four-walls classroom. That means my students still have textbooks, but we use GC for posting video tutorials and audio links to books. I still print worksheets for grammar each week, but I can use GC to send home virtual practice quizzes. I still lecture live in class with my PPT slides and students take notes, but with GC I can post key slides for review. Presentation days are streamlined now as students turn in their projects to the Assignment tab, but I still grade using a hard-copy rubric. In that way, GC as allowed me to enhance and improve instruction, organization, more. Here are five ways a blended traditional and digital classroom benefit my students and me in my secondary classroom.

1. Easy Set up

I set up my virtual classrooms as soon as I know my teaching assignments. Navigate to your Google Apps, and find the Classroom Tab. Once inside, just click the + sign by your picture to add a class. You can customize those pictures at the top as well using the free pictures included! GC will automatically generate a code for each class (find it in settings); all you need to do is copy it or project it and go. I like to put that code on my syllabus, and on the first day of school, I have my students join my Google Classroom. If students don’t already have the GC and email apps installed on their phones, I have them do that then, too.

2. Communication

This piece is critical for me as GC allows me to communicate with my students easily and creatively, and it offers another channel for communication with parents – automatically. With GC, I can enter parents’ email addresses for each student (or your school might already have them entered), flip the parent/guardian switch to “ON,” and GC will automatically send email summaries to my students’ families…I don’t have to do a thing! If you don’t see this feature, be sure to ask your school admin to turn it on. Word of caution: If you are entering parent/guardian emails, make sure you are sending info to the correct legal guardian. The emails aren’t two-way, but I still love that families get a snapshot of what we’ve done each week.

Communication with my students through GC is the ticket. I can post to the stream reminders, notes, pictures, videos, weekly schedule/calendar, etc. and they get a notification when I’ve done so. I also like that with the students the communication can be two-way, if you set your classroom up like that. I do leave it open for students to post and comment on the stream, but you can decide what works best for you. I also use GC as an extension of my classroom for discussions. Using the Question feature or just by posting on the stream, students can have virtual discussions beyond the walls of my traditional classroom. They can ask me and each other questions, and since students are very responsive to notifications on their devices, they often get immediate answers.

3. Snazzy Features

I’m not really a gadget-lover type person, but I think of the features in GC as cool gadgets! The first snazzy feature in GC that I like – probably the most – is the scheduling feature. I am crazy, crazy busy during the day (shocking for a teacher to say that, right?), so being able to schedule several posts and/or assignments at once when I finally get (or make) some time makes my life so much easier. For example, I like to send home a “Flipped Classroom” grammar video on Tuesday nights for students to watch in prep for the worksheet on Wednesday. I already have a list of the videos I want to use, so with the scheduling feature, I can post several of those at once.

Another cool tool I like inside of GC is what I call the “Student at a Glance” sorting feature. When you click on the “People” tab, you see all of your students in a class. From there, you are able to click students one at a time, and all of the assignments, completion, grades, etc. show up. It’s perfect for conferencing, make up work, etc.

GC has made the movement to more digital/virtual resources a snap with the “Make a Copy for Each Student” switch. While most of my classwork is still traditional paper and pencil, GC has allowed me to move to a few virtual assignments. For example, when my students are researching for a major writing assignment, I have the computer cart booked, so the logistics work out for GC classroom to play a larger role during that unit. Since students are researching online, I created digital note cards on which they can collect their info . It’s easy to pull the file from my drive and “Make a Copy for Each Student.” That way we aren’t all making changes to the original, and I don’t have to change any URLs. The same is true for my yearbook bell ringer workbooks . I’ll schedule several weeks’ worth in advance, make a copy, and students will have them right in their own drive ready-to-go when class starts!

4. Organization

Keeping up with late work and dues dates is so easy with GC because you set all that when you create an assignment. I also love that all student work is submitted and stored in the assignment you create, so grading, responding, and presenting is so easy. GC also automatically makes folders in the Drive for each assignment, too. A new feature I love is the “Create a Topic” option, which takes the organization to a whole new level. Not to mention – the differentiation options that opens up: Create topics for varied levels of readers (with cute names/colors, etc.), post certain assignments in that topic, let them know what topic they are to click on, and set students on their individualized way.

5. Feedback

As a writing teacher, feedback is critical. However, with 75-minute periods and often 25+ students in a class, I can’t conference with all of them as in depth as I’d like – or as often as I’d like. With GC, I create an assignment for their draft, and then I can use the Suggestion feature in Docs or Slides to make comments. This is also a two-way feature, so students can respond and reply to me there. Of course, virtual feedback doesn’t replace traditional face-time, but it does help get the conversation going and allows me to provide very personalized instruction. You can r ead more about my feedback process on writing here.

PS: If you haven’t ever used the Comment Bank via Docs or Slides, run – hurry – use it! You can save your most-used comments, and I took that to the next level by adding links to videos and tutorials on the most common grammar and writing mistakes I see. Doesn’t that sound amazing? If you’d like to automate that process even more, take a look at my Essay Grading Annotations for Feedback in Printable and Digital format so all you have to do is copy and paste!

We are a Google school, so all of our teachers and students have a Google email address, and we had access to Google suite, classroom, etc. for a while before I was “ready” to give it a try. (I’m a little slow to jump on a bandwagon.) Once I did, though, #gamechanger. Share your best GC tips below!

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Interview with a First-Year High School English Teacher

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:57:29 GMT

Interview with a First-Year

High School English Teacher

This past semester I had the honor of meeting Megan Ryan, who began her teaching journey in the school where I teach. My first year was a long time ago �� — another place and another time. So, when the year came to a close, I really wanted to pick her brain about being a new teacher. Learning from each other’s experiences — successes and struggles — is what makes us grow as teachers. For this blog post, I’m breaking my traditional “fast five” format to bring you Ms. Ryan’s responses in her own words; I loved her candor and detail in this interview with a first-year high school English teacher.

Meet Ms. Ryan

1. Describe your teacher-education experience.

"I went to a private Christian school (Lee University). They have a fantastic education department, although there are many things I wish they had better explained to me before becoming a teacher. For example, I began teaching with very little knowledge concerning practical things that may come up in the classroom. I think a lot of things you just have learn from experience, though. Student teaching was very helpful, as it gave me a better idea of what to expect as a licensed teacher. By “practical things” I just mean things like how much contact I should have with parents, how differently (if any) I should grade work that is turned in by students with learning needs/disabilities, how harsh consequences should be depending on the rules broken… smaller things of that nature. Most of those things are up to me to decide about, but I didn’t think about many of these smaller details until the time came when I was faced with making a decision about them."

2. What are your thoughts about teaching in a rural school district?

"I attended a relatively large suburban high school, but I really enjoyed my experience teaching in a rural school. There are, of course, pros and cons to teaching in a rural school. A rural school district means less funding, and that can be difficult. I loved having smaller class sizes because I felt that I was able to better get to know my students. I think that teaching in a rural school my very first semester of teaching was a bit less intimidating than a city school would have been, mainly because of the smaller setting."

3. Were there things you needed/wanted and didn’t have?

"For the most part, I had everything I needed. There were several times when the copy room was out of paper or something of that nature, but it was always a situation where I could just improvise my instruction. I did an independent reading unit with my students, and this was a little difficult because the library didn’t have as wide a variety as I would have liked. I ended up bringing all of the young adult books I own so that my students had a wider selection to choose from."

4. Most useful “teaching tools” to you as a first-year teacher.

"A few resources I found useful were the Remind app and Google Classroom."

5. What did you feel prepared for… and not prepared for?

"I felt prepared for the amount of grading and lesson planning–student teaching prepared me for that. I felt less prepared to manage my classroom. As a student teacher, my cooperating teachers handled most of the management because they chose the rules, procedures, and consequences."

6. Describe and explain one lesson that worked… and one that didn’t.

"One lesson that worked: poetry stations! First, I modeled how to annotate and analyze a poem. Then, I had stations set up for students to annotate and analyze a poem that was inspired by the poem that we had read together. Each station had thorough instructions. Each student had a poetry packet with one page for each station. I had 5 stations: reading and analyzing, rhyme scheme and format, figurative language, vocab and word choice, and poetry comparisons (comparing the poem we read as a class to the poem they read that day). I was amazed at how engaged the students were during each station. I think they were able to make sense of the poem because of the way it was broken down into smaller tasks.

A lesson that didn’t work: argumentative speed debating (on Valentine’s Day). I was so excited about this lesson during our argumentative writing unit, but it just… flopped. I had two rows of desks set up so that students would be paired with a partner who was sitting across from them. I read a topic out and they had one minute to “argue.” They would then rotate so that they were with a different partner for each topic. During my first class, I realized that students were NOT as excited as I was about moving around and arguing their opinions. No matter how enthusiastic I was, they just would not debate with each other. "

7. What did you learn about classroom management?

"I learned–quickly–that in order to successfully manage a classroom, there must be specific rules and consequences. I’m an easygoing person, but this will not always work as a teacher. Once I realized that I was having problems because of the lack of specific rules and consequences, I went over more specific regulations with my classes. I saw a drastic change in behavior."

8. What did you teach?

"I taught three regular English 9 classes. My largest class was 26 students."

9. What will you change…. not change next year?

"I would like to continue having at least one unit where students are able to choose their own reading material. I believe that giving them a choice about what they read is the best way to plant a love of reading in students. I had several students who claimed to hate reading find books that they fell in love with. This only happened because I allowed them to choose their own books. I definitely want to change the way I handle classroom management. I learned that it is crucial to set clear rules and consequences the very first week. Kids need structure and guidelines just as much, if not more, than we do."

10. What else can you add to help new (and other) teachers?

"My advice for other new teachers is to ask for help and advice from experienced teachers. I wish that I had asked more questions in the beginning because it would have saved me from making a few mistakes. However, know that it is okay to make mistakes. There is much knowledge in the world of teaching that you’ll only gain from experience. I still have so much to learn!"

It is my hope that first-year teachers and veteran teachers alike will enjoy reading about this experience. As I reflect on what Ms. Ryan said, it helped me realize a few things about my own experience as an educator. It’s not always easy to say what doesn’t work, but admitting it is the only way to repair it. On the flip side, we often don’t give ourselves much credit either when things go well. Last, teachers need to work together: I have so much to learn from new teachers coming into the profession, and we veteran teachers need to do more to ensure first-year teachers are mentored, encouraged, and supported. Thanks again, Megan, for sharing your experience. Best of luck to you and all first-year teachers!

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Internet-Free Activities for Middle & High School Classrooms, Any Subject

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:47:26 GMT

Internet-Free Activities for

Middle & High School

Classrooms, Any Subject

Recently, we experienced a school-wide Internet outage where I teach, and being without access to the World Wide Web really threw my students and me (along with everyone else in the building) for a loop. The days we were out of Internet, I had planned for students to make presentations that were stored in Google classroom, print papers to turn in, among other things that required Internet. It’s not the first time the Internet has gone down in our rural school, but going without really kicked my Plan B mindset into gear. So, I’ve put together a list of fabulous Internet-free ideas and resources for middle-high school in any subject that can be used in a pinch – or with some planning – when Ralph, or whoever, breaks the Internet.

1. Get Crafty or Build Something

Collage projects are pretty much my go-to, hands-on activity when I need to grab something fast, plan for a sub, or fill some time. Even my high school students love to cut and paste and create, and I think it’s even a fun way to sneak in a little reading. I always catch them actually reading the magazines we use. Plus, reusing those old magazines is the best way to recycle them. In English class, I have students make character poems, character personality collages, book covers, social media posts, and the list goes on and on.

Coloring never goes out of style, and crayons have been around way before the Internet was born. Draw a scene from a book, illustrate a favorite quote, draw the plot, or draw a diagram of the solar system or various other subject-based topics that need to be reviewed through the year. I’ve been using these color-by-grammar or color-by-figurative language worksheets in a pinch forever, and they are always a big hit with my secondary English students.

If you teach secondary math, the Math Stop has a fun coloring-based activity that would be awesome in a no-Internet setting. Students develop their knowledge of graphing coordinate pairs, quadrants, and reflections about the x and y-axis with this fun and engaging art activity. Then, they make it personal by using the letters of their name to decode them into arbitrary numbers from a decoder box. In the end everyone has a cool and colorful design that represents his/her own name.

2. Play Games or Conduct Experiments

Old-fashioned board games can be very educational whether you are playing them purely for the logic or teamwork of it, or if you are putting your subject-area twist on it. That’s pretty much how I do it; everything has to be English-related. (Wink) When I found these ready-made game cards with an extensive bank of 144 CCSS-aligned grammar and literature terms and definitions by The Littlest Teacher , I thought I had hit the jackpot! If you teach middle or high school English, you are going to want these!

I don’t know a student who doesn’t love a good game of Trashketball! You can set up a trashketball review game for any subject with little to no prep at all, and you’ll be set. For all things trashketball, I turn to the OCBeach Teacher . She’s the coach on this topic, and she has ready-to-go ELA games set up, so I don’t have to do anything but enjoy the game! She has full instructions and links to her no prep ELA review games here!

Mazes, Puzzles, and Escape Games. Oh My! These are all the rage now. I think I write about them in almost every blog post I do with resource-related tips and ideas because they are SO much fun! I recently used one of EoLA Ruth’s kinesthetic mazes to review frequently confused words, and we had a blast. The kids skirted around the room as fast as they could to figure out the puzzles AND answer the challenges! She has a free one for Independent vs. Dependent clauses . Other teachers are raving about Carol Miller’s The Growth Mindset Escape Game . Every now and then kids need a little reminder to get back into that positive thinking routine. Her Growth Mindset Escape Room is the perfect challenge for middle and high school students to both teach the concepts of a growth mindset and to have fun. Students are given a scenario where their school is taken over by the evil Dr. Dread and only way out is to use their brain power before it turns to mush! If you teach secondary ELA, my collection of escape games is growing like crazy! Check out the entire catalog here.

Other ideas include taking time to have students get to know their classmates better like with this fun Spanish speaking activity that gets them up and out of their seats to “Find Someone Who” can answer questions about classmates’ families, pets, favorite classes, sports and food. Download it for free ! Truth or Dare would also pique your students’ interest, and I love how Reading and Writing Have uses this game – and others – to help students review vocabulary words! Whether you’ve chosen words from literature, from test prep lists, from a vocabulary book, or hand-selected words you think your students should know, the exercises in this bundle will complement them perfectly. Designed to work with any Tier 2 vocabulary list, these activities, games, and practice worksheets will get your students thinking creatively… without the Internet!

Experiments and STEM projects always catch my attention. I think it’s because I secretly wish I were a scientist! That’s definitely not in my future, but I love seeing what other teachers are preparing for their students. When I saw this Pirate Coding activity created by Curiosity and the Hungry Mind , I knew it was a treasure. (The puns are always intended.) Plus, I have a major soft spot for Pirates. (Again, what I wish I could be when I grow up.) You’ll be able keep upper elementary and middle school students engaged in unplugged coding and STEM challenges with these cool activities!

This STEM project from Professor Doubter piqued my interest immediately, and I think your upper elementary or middle school students will want to dive right in, too. This lab activity challenges students to prove there is REAL IRON in cereal by designing and conducting their own experiments to prove magnetic fields exist between objects! The only materials you’ll need are a strong magnet, hand lens, ½ cup of dry breakfast cereal (Total® brand) in a small plastic baggie, and small beaker/container of water. Grab the instructions and files here , and let your little scientists get busy!

Last but not least, how about just going outside to play? From your middle school students to your high school students, everyone will be participating. Have students toss a ball around and review a point from the lesson. Write vocab words on the sidewalk with chalk. Misty Miller has her students go outside and play tag with math integers. Integers Math Tag Relay is a great way to practice solving problems with integers while having fun.

3. Write

If you are in the middle of a writing unit, and the Internet goes out, you don’t have to stop what you were doing entirely. With every unit, my students benefit from analyzing sample papers. You probably have a few lurking in your file cabinets, and if you can plan ahead, I have several available in any mode, too. I like to put students in groups or set up stations and use task cards to guide their analysis. ( See another post here or a video via Facebook for how I do that.) Peer reviewing and/or revising are also super important in the writing process, and if students have been drafting on paper or have old papers that have already been graded, you can have them pull out those copies and review. I use self-evaluation forms , task cards , and “sticky notes” to get kids reading, reviewing, and revising their writing.

Writing is such a big part of the educational process, and it’s really important in any subject. Just something as simple as having students write a fun narrative about “The Day Without the Internet,” or an expository essay explaining the effects of no Internet in school, or an argumentative letter to local legislatures persuading them to bring better Internet into the county – would be perfect. Have students read them aloud, and that will help with your grading! Science classes could write explanations of their most recent science experiment, and history classes could write summaries of an important event they just studied.

4. Read & Role play

I’m pretty certain every school has an old-fashioned library stocked with beautiful books just waiting to have their spines cracked. Take a visit! Also, our local newspaper delivers free copies of the weekly paper to our school. It came to my attention not too long ago that my freshmen hadn’t really ever read or picked up an actual newspaper. It’s hard to believe, but if you stop and think about it, that’s probably true. If you can get access to some newspapers, have students do a scavenger hunt looking for text features, main idea sentences, use of dialogue, etc.

Nothing makes reading come alive more than acting it out. Every unit I teach must include some kind of readers’ theater or role-playing scenes because my students beg me for them. We either act out some scenes I’ve abridged or created, they create the scene by responding to a role-playing prompt, or we just throw on some costumes and read the text we are studying!

5. Listen to a Podcast or Watch a Movie

While podcasts do require the Internet, you can play them right from your phone and use a Bluetooth speaker to project them for your class. I love podcasts, too, because they are mobile. Grab your phone, speaker, blankets, chairs, hammocks, worksheets, and go! Get my ready-to-go podcast worksheets for any podcast any subject here and take a look at my growing list of podcast suggestions here !

Movies never go out of style, and they are perfect in a pinch. You can find so many ready-to-guides for tons of movies, so you can just press play!

All this made me think about back in the day when we didn’t have Internet, at least not so readily available and at such high speeds. What did we ever do? Also, there are other times of the year when using the Internet might not be an option, perhaps if you are in a testing window at the end-of-the year, or if you are displaced from your classroom for various reasons. Teaching and learning must continue, even if it’s going to look a little different or if your main lesson is going to be on pause for a little while. Sometimes you can plan ahead, and other times, it’s unexpected. Basically, the show must go on, and we teachers know how to make that happen.

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A Movie Review of HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 From a High School English Teacher

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:08:45 GMT

A Movie Review of HBO’s Fahrenheit 451

From a High School English Teacher

Since this phase represents the end of the process and everything that occurs after the paper has been completed, I like to call this phase the “after party.” It really works, too, if you think about because the accomplishment of writing should be celebrated!

1. Characters/Characterization

Not everything about the characters was 100% spot on, but that is to be expected, I suppose. So what works and what doesn’t?

Beatty – Captain Beatty is our resident manipulative, maniacal manager of the fire. He’s the villain through and through, loving to control the narrative and burn anything that gets in his way. Right. Right? Well, maybe not. Beatty’s ambiguity is what makes him so compelling, confusing, and complex. In my opinion, the film does a nice job of painting a picture of Beatty of which Bradbury would approve.

Faber/Granger – These fiction-loving fellas aren’t named characters in the film, but their archetype is certainly present. In fact, they play a huge role in the film in terms of propelling the conflict. In the novel, the bulk of the conflict is driven by Montag’s internal struggle, but the film really hinges on both the person v. person and person v. society conflict with the “Eels” to move the plot. I suppose that’s a pretty decent substitution.

Montag – I’m not sure anybody can really live up to our Guy Montag. He’s always the hardest one to pinpoint and agree upon when we do our exercise in class of picking the actors/actresses. Everyone just always has a different idea of who he should be. He fumbles through most of the book trying to figure himself out, so maybe that’s why he is so hard to pinpoint. HBO ’s Montag experiences a similar struggle, but I am still not quite satisfied for some reason. Montag the confused – yes, I can get on board with that. Montag the superstar – nah, I’ll pass on that interpretation. Maybe my hopes were too high. That said, I would give Michael B. Jordan a B+.

Ms. Blake – What a powerful scene. Glad she – and it – was included. Enough said.

Mildred – Initially, I was bothered by the fact that Mildred wasn’t included. The more I think on it, though, I can accept the choice. In the movie, she wasn’t just an obsessed robotic tv watcher, she WAS the robot. Clever. In the text, Bradbury needed a vessel to paint the picture society’s bad behaviors, etc. On the big screen and with today’s special effects, it is possible to just make it evident in other ways. Figuratively, too, it speaks to the whole idea of how little she actually contributed anything to Montag or society at all and how truly forgettable she was. Gone like a freight train (puns are intended), gone like yesterday. Wait, who was Millie again?

Clarisse – Clarisse provides the most mystery in the book, and the kids always love her. Bradbury is even quoted as saying he is Clarisse in the book: full of wonder and curiosity. It’s with Clarisse that the film falls of the wagon in the characters/characterization category. Clarisse is supposed to be light and airy and a picture of innocence, but in the film, she is too dark and brooding for my liking. And then there’s the whole spark between Montag and Clarisse. Not. My. Favorite. My students always think they’ve “picked up” on something between Montag and Clarisse when they read the scenes with her, and I always stress how incorrect that reading is. Clarisse is a catalyst for Montag’s path toward the truth. In that that way – and only in that way – might she serve as a femme fatale, luring him to the light. Am I surprised “Hollywood” used her character as a way to provide some on-screen romance? No, but it’s just textually inaccurate. As an aside here: My students didn’t like her in the film either.

2. Setting

So much of what Bradbury penned was futuristic – and dare I say prophetic – in the 1950s. Today, though, just about every bit of it has come to fruition, and what hasn’t can be computer generated for the movies. I was pleased to see the infusion of the large screens; they are, in fact, everywhere: in homes, in streets, and even on the skyscrapers. Bradbury’s biggest fear was the detrimental effects of people’s over consumption of and obsession with television. The TVs are ever present and “large and in charge.” However, I’m not so certain the intended dystopian city that Bradbury envisioned really seemed “all that bad” in HBO’s version. The setting, for me, kinda fizzled out.

3. OMNIS

This is a massive change from the book, but it may just be this detail that shows us – 2018 watchers of the film – how close we might actually be to Bradbury’s dystopian future. OMNIS holds every piece of literature, art, and history in a DNA strand, preserving the long forgotten culture that the firemen tried to erase. While there are underground members of society, like Granger and his “railroad” crew that memorize entire books in order to preserve them, it is this OMNIS that they work to protect and preserve. Once the OMNIS is introduced into the plot, it becomes the major source of the conflict, as it is the focus of the firemen’s revenge. The twist is that this DNA strand has been implanted in a bird. After some thought, I decided I might be satisfied with this change as I see connections with it and the prominent role of the Phoenix in the novel. OMNIS becomes a symbol of hope in a bleak, literature-loathing society that hints at the emergence of a better future. It’s a reminder that it doesn’t matter how much “graffiti” (books) the firemen decide to burn, there’s still hope out there for a free-thinking future — much like the Phoenix that is burned but rises again.

4. Theme

Ultimately, Bradbury wants readers to put themselves in the characters’ shoes: What role would you have played in this dystopian universe: perpetuator, bystander, fighter? Would you see the truth like Montag, or continue to fumble your way through the pursuit for emptiness happiness like Mildred. Would you fight to manipulate and cover the truth like Beatty or use truth to lead others to it like Faber or Granger? It is the growth from within that he wants – that really can bring the change that this culture needs. Truth, knowledge, morality — all erased and replaced with what people see rather than what they think. The movie does a good job of making that clear — maybe a little too clear (some points didn’t leave much to the imagination), but in order to bridge the gap to “modern audiences,” I can see the need. Maybe that’s a tad ironic, and telling, in and of itself. Nonetheless, tons of lines from the book are woven throughout, and I enjoyed hearing Bradbury’s voice.

5. The Ending

Bradbury’s ending is open, or so many of my students say, and most really do hate that. I always pose the question to them, though, Is it really open ended? Throughout the entire book, Bradbury wants readers to realize that the value of books is to provide information, but more importantly to make people think. On one hand, the open ending forces readers to do that. On the other hand, maybe the ending so open at all. Montag did figure out his purpose, and if you read it that way, then what else was there? Either way, the movie definitely provides us with Bahrani’s idea of what he thought should be Montag’s purpose: keep the “books” alive. But die? I could see a case for his death in the book, but die at the hand of Beatty. That idea should be torched. In the movie, the books “rise from the ashes” to live on and that offers some hope, but having Beatty kill Montag gives the villain way too much power, and erases hope that the books — and future — will really be safe. To link in another once “hot” film, President Snow said, “Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it’s contained.” (Sidebar: Does anybody else see the HG connections? I can’t unsee it.) If Bahrani intended to remove that hope, that’s dark and maybe it’s a little too dark. But perhaps that’s just me trying to look on the bright side.

Final thoughts: Is it appropriate for class? HBO rated the film TV-MA for violence and language. That said, just about any novel we pick up is going to have violence and language or worse. I am not a fan of it either, and I don’t want to convey that at all. Otherwise, it’s pretty benign. All in all, I did think it was time well spent showing it to my students. It brought up so many conversations; and we really did decide that the book is better. It doesn’t get much better for my little English-teacher heart. In my school, anytime we show a film, we have to get our principal to approve it. So, I did that, and I wrote a parent letter and created a set of questions student would answer during the viewing. He was fine with that, and I had zero parents ask for an alternative assignment. I do have older students, but if you cover your bases this way you should be fine. (See my Teacher Talk Video on Facebook here about dealing with novels with difficult content .)

Get the letter I drafted and the questions HERE for free !

If you teach Fahrenheit 451 as a novel unit, stop over to my teacherspayteachers store and take a look at my complete unit plan . Also, did you enjoy the memes above? I have to brag on my students. Those were all their original work, and I have to admit, I laughed out loud at most of them.

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Best Christmas Holiday Lesson Ideas & More That Your Teens Will Love

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 17:46:53 GMT

Best Christmas Holiday

Lesson Ideas & More That

Your Teens Will Love

The excitement is in the air, the carols are playing, the trees are going up: It’s Christmas! What a wonderful time of year for celebrations. If you are like me, though, you want to be sure that you are still keeping your class contained and working on something skills-based through the Christmas Holiday season. Here are the best Christmas holiday lesson ideas, activities, and more for middle & high school teens for all subjects.

1. TEACHING THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON

This is the time of year for giving, so I’m always looking for ways to inspire and warm my students’ hearts during the holiday season. It’s so easy for tweens and teens to get caught up in making their own lists and checking them twice that they quickly forget about others. My high school English students enjoy the activities in my Surviving the Christmas Bundle. These Christmas lessons and activities will inspire students to think beyond the hustle and bustle of receiving glittering gifts in order to focus on the moments and meaning of the season ! Whether they are reading nonfiction about Toms shoes and analyzing poetry, watching the funny holiday film Skipping Christmas , or researching different symbols of the season from various holiday traditions around the world to present to their classmates, they will be focused and engaged. This pack includes various levels of texts with appropriate thematic pairings, so you can provide your students with the best materials for them.

Yearbook and journalism students can practice their headline writing skills and reach out to the student body with my Christmas headline writing activity . Students will read news articles about the holiday and write the missing headlines. Then they will organize an in-school service project. Your journalism students will love the Christmas-themed activity and service-learning project, and you will love that they are brushing up on crucial journalism skills.

2. TEACHING CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD

Many classrooms are blessed with diversity, and having activities at-hand for all students to see themselves in the celebration is important. In other cases, you may be required to incorporate a lesson with various Christmas traditions during this time of year. Either way, there are some pretty awesome resources available that will allow you to teach Christmas traditions around the world creatively and easily. My bundle featured above includes my Symbols of the Seasons research project , which would be perfect for English classes, advisory periods, technology classes, journalism/media, and more. A short research project like this is also perfect for sub plans. Middle school students (and even high school kids) enjoy coloring every now and then, too, and my Coloring-by-Figurative Language sheets offer a variety of images!

Escape games are all the rage right now, and you know how much I love them. This Christmas Around the World Escape Room by Think Tank will take your middle school students this holiday season in any subject on a secret mission around the classroom! This escape room has students decode fun and interesting facts about Christmas traditions around the world. Students will learn brief holiday traditions of Iceland, Japan, Philippines, Germany, England, Ukraine, Russia, Norway, Marshall Islands, Australia, Slovakia and Venezuela. Grades 4-8 in geography class can join the fun with these latitude and longitude puzzles from Dr. Loftin’s Learning Emporium . Students simply plot the given coordinates, connect their dots, and discover a hidden picture (Santa, Gingerbread Man, Stocking, Elf, Snowman, Reindeer, Snowflake, Christmas Tree, Star of David, and Christmas Star).

3. TEACHING WITH THE MAGIC OF MOVIES

I am a sucker for Christmas movies, and movie really does make the BEST Christmas Holiday lesson idea! This time of year, my TV recorder is already full of holiday movies, and I can’t wait to cuddle up and binge watch. My all-time favorite Christmas movie is Home Alone 2 . Old-school, I know, but I love the music, setting, and message. It’s no surprise, then, that I developed a FREE lesson for my high school English class, so I could show it at school. Plus, teach your students how to extend the holiday spirit with the real-world project included.

Another super-sweet movie this time of year is Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory . For this movie, I’ve also created a movie guide that has students practicing skills such as theme, conflict, characterization, mood, and setting. The human plot chart puzzle, symbolism worksheet, and constructed response prompts are excellent options to follow up the movie. Plus, there are several suggestions for service projects that are inspired by the film.

And let’s not forget the all-time favorite Christmas classic: Dickens’s A Christmas Carol . If you like to show this film during Christmas, take a look at my movie guide . From reading charts and graphs, to reviewing plot with the interactive human plot puzzle, to analyzing symbolism, to writing, this movie guide is sure to add rigor to your movie-viewing experience. It works with any version of the movie you have on hand.

Go ahead… get cozy with some cocoa and a Christmas movie without sacrificing any learning.

4. DECORATING AND CELEBRATING IN THE CLASSROOM

If you are allowed to have a Christmas party or decorate in your classroom this time of year, here are a few ideas to make it fun, easy, and educational!

Fun Theme:

Who knew that those tacky Christmas and holiday sweaters from the 90s would actually become a party trend? Yet here we are… and they are actually super cute. I created this school-wide Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Pack , and the students at my high school have an Ugly/Tacky Christmas dress-up day every year; even the teachers participate! It’s so easy to host a tacky Christmas sweater party, and if you need some ready-to-go materials to communicate with parents and students or to make it educational, check out my Wacky Tacky Christmas Sweater Classroom Party Pack ! There are even awards and activities to do in class during the party.

Elly Thorsen has you covered (All my puns are intended!) with her Physical and Chemical changes Ugly Holiday Sweater Coloring worksheets if you teach secondary science. In the worksheets, students read about a change that occurs over the holidays and identify it as a physical or chemical change by coloring an ugly sweater accordingly. Then they explain in sentences how they knew what kind of change occurred.

Decor:

If you are planning to deck the halls (or your classroom walls) for the holidays, there are so many posters that are educational. These multilingual Christmas and Hanukkah posters from The ESL Nexus represent different 35 countries, and include suggestions for 8 math, writing, and art activities that teach students about the countries! I like to hang my Nativity posters in my Sunday School classroom at church this time of year. These are sized as 8×10 both in jpeg and pdf format! You can print anyway you want… on home printer, online, or at the local photo lab!

If you teach a technology or computer classes, I love this idea from Innovations in Technology . She has her high school students create her classroom’s Christmas decor using computer applications! Students certainly need to be skilled in Microsoft Excel and Google sheets to be successful in many college classes and the workforce. Students are challenged by creating the Christmas art, and they get to be a part of the decorating process.

Putting a Christmas tree up in your classroom may not be an option, but if you teach middle school math, Wilcox’s Way has you covered with her Middle School Christmas Tree Math Activity . Her resource includes 10 different templates you can use to build your Sierpenski Christmas tree pyramid. Have each student complete a couple of pyramids, and then watch the magic unfold as you put them together and watch your tree grow! I am fascinated with this!

Treats :

What’s a party without some Christmas cookies and hot cocoa? Given that I have older students, I can usually say that everyone brings something to the table, so to speak, in order to eat. It can be something as small as a 2-liter drink or pack of plates. I even allow them to team up. In the case where students can’t bring anything, I ask them to speak with me and we figure out a good solution; I just want them to realize that it’s important to contribute if at all possible. Another thing to keep in mind is food allergies and school policies on food. If all of that works in your favor, have ALL the cookies, candies, and cocoa. If not, don’t worry. There are still some really fun ways to treat your students.

Kerry Tracy’s Christmas and Winter STEM challenges is a perfect Christmas Holiday lesson idea and offers so much variety. I think the Candy Cane Calamity would have your middle school students laughing all the way!

Erin Hanson created a fun hot cocoa themed STEM activity . Middle school scientists will explore the effect of temperature (thermal energy) on marshmallows and candy canes in hot cocoa. Students will practice their science and engineering skills by making predictions, planning investigations, making observations, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and they’ll love every minute of it!

In Amy Alvis’s middle school math class, students explore ratio and proportion with holiday cookie-themed task cards. Your middle school math students will love using manipulatives to discover how many marshmallows are hidden in each mug of hot chocolate in Leaf and Stem Learning’s Christmas Math Holiday Algebra activity . The variables are represented by holiday cocoa mugs and the constants by marshmallows!

5. STOCKING STUFFERS

This category is my catch-all for the short Christmas activities and lessons I love that are perfect for just your plug and play, last-minute fillers. From stations, literacy, math, or writing centers, to bell ringers, to time fillers at the end of class, to a short periods or odd schedule days, we always need something we can grab quickly and “stuff in”!

The OCBeach teacher has her students writing at the beginning of the period using her poetry bell ringers for the winter season. My Christmas grammar worksheets designed for high school students aren’t your typical Christmas grammar exercises! These are truly NO PREP, print and go, age-appropriate exercises to challenge and review your teens’ grammar skills during December. These grammar activities for Santa reflect a seasonally-inspired thematic concept of the page that coincides with key, standards-based grammar skills. For example, students will repair broken sentences (fragments and run-ons) in Santa’s Workshop. Or, they will help Santa double check his list by correcting apostrophe errors. I’ve also provided beautiful clip art to add layers and interest to the pages to grab your teens’ eyes! Plus, for those fast finishers, there’s plenty for them to color and style! Extension activities are also provided on several of the sheets, and the grammar notes are included as well. Your students will get all “wrapped up” with these grammar activities!!

Getting rave reviews from fellow middle school language teachers is the HappyEdugator’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas homophone search . In this Christmas activity, middle school language arts students will be searching all over for homonyms and homophones in a wacky homophone version of the famous Christmas poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clark Moore.

I’m super impressed by the rigor and detail of The Lab’s science coloring by number worksheets for Christmas . Middle and high school students review the human body, periodic table, and more in this coloring activities bundle!

High school Spanish classes can even have a little Christmas Holiday lesson fun with La Profe Plotts’s Holiday Task Cards. My Christmas holiday real-world grammar fails task cards make the perfect grab and go activity for stations, using in Kahoot, or as bell ringers.

Remember to check your school’s policy on celebrating this time of year, so you are in compliance with those guidelines. May your season be blessed with love, rest, joy, and peace.

From my home to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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How to Grade Essays Faster: Time‑Saving Tips for English Teachers

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:54:04 GMT

How to Grade Essays Faster: Time‑Saving Tips for English Teachers

Aaaaah. The essay‑grading burden of the English teacher. If you’re staring at a stack of essays and wondering how you’re supposed to grade them all without losing your weekend, you’re not alone. Grading writing is one of the most time‑consuming parts of teaching ELA, and it can feel impossible to keep up.

After wrapping up my recent series on teaching writing, ( Get started reading that series here at the first post. )I wanted to share an encore focused on the part we all struggle with most: grading essays faster, giving meaningful feedback, and managing the workload without burning out.

Below are five practical, time‑saving strategies that help English teachers streamline the grading process and stay sane during essay season.

1. Build Smart Deadlines Into the Writing Process

Plan checkpoints throughout the writing process and have students submit thesis statements, works cited drafts, or first paragraphs through Google Classroom (or your LMS). These mini‑check‑ins let you catch mistakes early, give quick feedback, and save hours later when you grade the full essay.
Offer extra credit for early submissions. Grading essays as they trickle in prevents the dreaded “all‑at‑once” pile.
After the final due date, plan a hands‑off class activity — a film, stations, or independent reading — so you can carve out focused grading time. I typically spend 8–12 minutes per 500–700 word essay, so I have to intentionally block that time. If you want to make movie days more productive, check out my no‑prep literary movie guides. Read more about how to make showing movies in class more productive here …. and take a look at my collection of no-prep literary movie guides here.

2. Use Efficient Essay Grading Tools and Rubric

A clear, task‑specific rubric is one of the fastest ways to grade essays efficiently . I use separate rubrics for content, grammar, and MLA. It sounds like more work, but focusing on one skill at a time actually speeds up the process and improves accuracy.

Create a code sheet for common errors. I use one for printed essays and another loaded into my Google Comment Bank. I’ve even added video tutorials so students can click for extra help. Those rubrics are in my complete writing curriculum.
Don’t feel obligated to mark every single error. If a student repeats the same mistake, I mark it the first few times and deduct points accordingly. It saves time and avoids overwhelming the student. I explain patterns in my final note so they know what to work on next. see what else I say in final notes here
Get those digital and printable, fast-and-focused feedback materials here!

3. Set Clear Essay Requirements to Save Time

If you can control the assignment length, use it strategically. I set word minimums and maximums . Struggling writers need the minimum to stay accountable, and high‑flyers need the maximum to stay concise. Holding students to both ends keeps grading manageable and improves writing quality.

4. Protect Your Energy While Grading Essays

Be honest with students about how long it takes to grade writing. Don’t promise a turnaround you can’t sustain.
Spread your grading over a few days so your brain stays fresh. When I try to power through a full stack, my focus drops fast.
Practice real self‑care: hydrate, sit comfortably, and choose good lighting. I love grading on my porch in the morning or by a bright window.
Let students grade! Give them self-reflection forms or task cards set up in stations to guide their grading. Train them on sample papers against the rubric, and let them self-score or peer-review. With my Feedback on Writing Essays Bundle , you get all of this!

5. Go Digital to Speed Up Essay Feedback

If it works for you, have students submit essays electronically. Typing comments is often faster than handwriting them. Some teachers even use audio feedback tools.
In Google Docs, Suggesting Mode makes it easy to leave comments along the margin. Students get instant feedback , and you can reuse comments from your bank.
I still have students turn in a hard‑copy rubric, but you can also use a digital rubric if that fits your workflow.
I use Google Docs and have students share with me. In this format, you can switch to suggesting mode to leave comments along the side of the screen. You can also see the history here, which is excellent for checking use of AI.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, there’s no single perfect system for grading essays quickly, but there are strategies that make the workload more manageable. Students need more than a score — they need meaningful, actionable feedback from the expert in the room.

But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice every evening or weekend to make it happen. With smart deadlines, efficient tools, clear expectations, and a little self‑care, you can grade essays faster while still giving students the high‑quality feedback they deserve .

Teaching writing is demanding, but it’s also one of the most impactful things we do. Helping students grow as writers is a burden worth bearing — and with the right systems, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming one.

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Lessons I Learned from Visiting Magnolia in Waco, TX, About Classroom Management and Environment

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:40:28 GMT

Lessons I Learned from Visiting Magnolia in Waco, TX, About Classroom Management and Environment

A while back, I had the chance to visit Magnolia in Waco, Texas—a trip I’d dreamed about for years. What surprised me most wasn’t the picture-perfect shiplap or farmhouse charm (though yes, it’s everything you’d imagine). It was how deeply the space made me feel—welcome, inspired, and included. I couldn’t help but think, “This is what I want my classroom to feel like.” As teachers, we talk a lot about classroom management, learning environment, and student engagement, especially as we head into a new school year. But the best classrooms aren’t just controlled or decorated—they’re places of belonging. As I walked through Magnolia, I realized I wasn’t just on a fun trip. I was collecting inspiration for how to create a classroom culture that truly matters. If you’re a teacher looking to revamp your space or mindset this back-to-school season, here are five lessons Magnolia taught me about creating a meaningful and manageable classroom.

Make My Classroom a Place Where “Everyone has a seat at the table.”

One of the first places we visited on our trip was Magnolia Table, the beautifully renovated restaurant. We had watched the episode where Joanna Gaines remodeled the space, and I remember her saying she wanted it to be a place where people from all walks of life could come together over good food and good company. The atmosphere was just as warm and welcoming as I’d imagined, and I couldn’t stop thinking about one standout detail: the large community table with a metal sign above it that reads, “Where Everyone Has a Seat at the Table.” Created by Jimmy Don, the sign is simple but powerful—and it instantly spoke to me as a teacher.

Back then, I was teaching in a small, rural school where everyone at least knew each other's names. Now, I'm at a larger school with much more diversity—in background, culture, ability, and perspective. That sign means even more to me now. It reminds me that creating a space of belonging isn’t just about making room—it’s about making intentional room for every student’s story, voice, and value. My students come from different families, friend groups, experiences, and identities. It’s not enough to say they’re welcome—I have to actively build a classroom environment that proves it.

That means crafting class discussions where all voices feel invited, not just the confident ones. It means waiting patiently for the quiet students to open up—and celebrating when they do. It means designing materials that reflect a variety of backgrounds and thoughtfully curating reading selections so every student can see themselves—and others—on the page. Whether through conversation, curriculum, or classroom setup, I want my students to feel what I felt at Magnolia Table: that they truly belong and have a meaningful place at the table.

Turn “Nothing” Into Something Special and Memorable

If you watched Chip and Jo’s show, Fixer Upper , then you know they are in the construction business to buy houses and fix them up to sell. Many of the houses they have chosen to remodel have been forgotten by the masses. Nobody has “the guts to take on a fixer-upper,” so these houses with beautiful bones are just rotting to the ground. My husband and I do some work with construction and remodeling, and oftentimes we get into some things we want to run from. But, we have to step back and see the potential- it has good bones, they say. This one hits home hard when I think about the students in my classroom. From struggling learners to excelling learners to the well-behaved student to the trouble-maker, there’s always something that can be transformed in them. It’s when I had the struggling learners for so many years that it sometimes became hard to even want to look for the potential. We sometimes want to run in the other direction or complain about what students come into our classroom. Eventually, this became my prayer: "God, place the students who need me to see them and their potential in my classroom and give me the grace and strength to get the job done."

Any kid who comes into our classroom has the ability to grow and be transformed, and we have to be willing to pick up our tools and go to work. I don’t want to run from the challenge, but rather I want to be part of the before and after – the amazing reveal – at the end of the year. I’m honored to have been selected and placed in the role of having a small part in helping to build these students into who they will be someday.

Welcome Feedback—and Actually Use It

At breakfast, we had a lovely conversation with one of the managers who was a friend of Joanna’s mom. She, of course, asked us about our breakfast (which was amazing. More on that later.) She told us that since they are relatively new to the food industry, they are always learning. Part of that process, she said, is gathering and implementing feedback. At Magnolia, they ask visitors to give feedback via their website, and they have learned everything from how to improve processes to what new items to add to the menu.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years is to ask my students their thoughts on lessons, assignments, projects, the novel excerpt, etc. So how does that look? After we finish a lesson, I ask them what else do they need to know or do to have it. After a virtual discussion with them on their thesis checkpoints, I’ll ask them was that enough help. Do they have enough info to go forward? After we finish a project, I’ll ask them was it interesting, helpful, useful, etc. I ask them what works and what doesn’t. Some responses aren’t helpful, but most actually are. I genuinely want and need to know what I can do to help them. Plus, this process helps them to help themselves, too. The process of me asking for feedback teaches them not only how to think critically from outside an assignment, but it also shows them that I genuinely care and value their role in their own learning and in my teaching. It lets the wear the teacher tool belt, of sorts.

Differentiation Is a Must: Not Every Student Needs the Same Thing

I have been having health issues for some time, and at the beginning of the year, I found out that I was going to have to change my diet completely. I am now 100% gluten-free, and I also have to stay away from certain foods that aren’t low FODMAP. It has been a process, and in many cases, I can’t enjoy what others are eating. So, when I’m traveling, I’m always apprehensive about what choices I’ll have. Magnolia is obviously largely about enjoying food, but I had just planned to make the best of it. To my surprise, Magnolia Table has several amazing gluten-free options, and so did the bakery! I was thrilled to be able to have the French toast and the avocado toast at breakfast (we ate there twice LOL). This was amazing for two reasons: French toast is one of my favorite breakfast dishes, and the avocado toast was one of Jo’s specials. Then we visited the bakery, and while I didn’t get to try the “wow” cupcakes (according to my hubby), I was able to select from three tasty cookies. Even one of the food trucks on the lawn at the Silos had a unique option for me to try. Now, not every dish was available in gluten-free; no cupcakes were either; and not every food truck was able to make a gluten-free creation. The fact still remains, though, that some of the most important items had been differentiated.

In our classrooms, differentiation and inclusion is important because some kids have specific needs that must be met differently in order for them to be healthy, educationally speaking. One size certainly does not fit all when it comes to instruction. We have to offer a different creation that they can digest. That is not to say that everything we do needs to be created all anew. If I did that for every class of 28-34 students I had for three sections, I wouldn’t survive even one semester. It is not feasible to make 20 different flavors of this or that or 20 different math worksheets. What we can do is recreate what is necessary and work to provide extra support and options on other items where time, energy, and personnel allow. Menu boards, task cards, video links, pre-annotated texts, or dictionaries all provide differentiation in ways that make it possible to serve all learners without exhausting yourself. In some cases, we may even have to face that not all students will complete all tasks – but what we can ensure is that all students complete the task that allows him or her to grow and feel fulfilled.

Create an Experience, Not Just a Lesson

One of my biggest takeaways from Magnolia was how the environment made me feel. Sure, everything was beautifully designed—of course it was, that’s what Chip and Joanna Gaines do. Their signature style has influenced the entire design industry, showing the world how intentional details can transform a space into something that feels like home. But, it wasn’t just about furniture or lighting. The spaces smelled amazing. They were clean and thoughtfully arranged. There were little nods to books and literacy—things that made me smile. But the most impressive detail? At every single door, there was a staff member waiting to open it, smile, and say, “Welcome.”

Welcome.

That small word left a big impression. It wasn’t performative—it was heartfelt. And it reminded me that how people feel in a space matters more than anything else.

I want my students to feel the same way when they enter my classroom: invited, seen, and wanted. I greet them at the door as they enter, and tell them goodbye when they leave. They're only with me for a short part of the day, but I want those few minutes to communicate, “You belong here.”

Your classroom doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect. It doesn’t need fancy lights or matching bins. But small things—like a calm scent, a sense of order, and a smile at the door—go a long way.

It’s true what they say: people might not remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

Welcome home, students. Welcome home.

Read my blog post: Plant-Themed Classroom Inspired by My Trip to Magnolia

Conclusion

There’s something powerful about stepping away from your usual surroundings—especially in the summer. Travel gives us fresh eyes. But as teachers, it doesn’t take long before we start thinking about how what we see and feel can translate back into our classrooms. Whether you're decorating your classroom, planning your first week, or just wanting to reframe your mindset, I hope these Magnolia-inspired reflections give you a spark. Here’s to going back-to-school rested, recharged, and ready to make every student feel at home.

Shop some Magnolia-Inspired Resources for Back-to-School

Trunk or Treat, but Make it Magnolia

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A Formula for Successful Writing Instructions Series: #5 Finishing Up

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:30:48 GMT

A Formula for Successful Writing Instructions Series #5 Finishing Up

Meaningful feedback is key in teaching students to truly look at what they’ve written after the fact. I want my students to know that I’ve read what they’ve written and taking the time – yes quite a bit of time – to write something meaningful on each paper is part of that process. I always try to leave notes for both strengths and targets for students throughout the essay. Those notes are tailored to each student’s abilities, too. For some students, I’ll ask a question to prod more thinking, but with other students, I’ll be more direct.

I also include a note at the end that is personal and lets students know that I appreciate the work they’ve done. This is also a good place to let students know that you’ve noticed their growth. The of end-of-essay “letter” serves as a mini conference that gives students a little boost of confidence for the next task.

Student self-evaluation is another piece of the process that I believe produces amazing – if not the best – results for growth. We, as writing teachers, all know that we spend hours grading, scoring, and commenting just to have students glance at the grade when we hand the essays back and then shove it in their binder or file it away in some random Google folder. I needed students to read what I wrote and take an honest look at what they had done, so I developed self-evaluation forms for writing . I’ve blogged about these little jewels before because I believe in them so much. On the day I hand the essays back, I make class time for students to fill out the forms. Sometimes I give a grade for the forms, and other times I give a few extra credits points on the essay grade. Students to respond really well to the forms, and I love seeing them dig back through their work learning to look for triumphs and issues.

Sharing successes and student exemplars when possible builds morale and confidence. (The process must be done tactfully, and anytime I share student work from within the class I always take the names off, of course.) I always try to choose a different student’s work each time, and even if it’s not an entire essay, – maybe just the opening or a paragraph that was done particularly well – it is still very beneficial for the entire class to see how different students responded to the task. If it’s an argumentative task we just finished, I try to choose responses that were well done from each stance. I always explain specifically what was well done about the paper I’m showing. Often, I choose different traits to focus on in the exemplars when I’m sharing throughout the semester. I also remind students that they may see those same traits in their own papers, and if not, then they know what they need to work on next time. I don’t hang up student essays in my room or hallways, but students are required to keep the tasks in their writer’s portfolio. That satisfies the “publishing” feel of the process for high school students.

Keeping a chart of writing scores is an excellent exercise for those math-minded students, and it makes the perfect organic data collection evidence for you. My writing curriculum has the tools you need in it to make this part of the process a staple.

Allowing students to revise every essay for a fresh, new grade can seem like a huge task, especially if you have 100+ students. You spend hours grading through them the first time around, so how could you possibly consider grading them again? Many colleges encourage professors to develop a revision policy, and I think it is another piece of the process that does produce growth. After students have completed the self-evaluation form, and they know what to look for in terms of issues, their revisions really can be worthwhile. When I taught at the college level, I allowed students to revise and resubmit one essay. I know others who allowed students to revise and resubmit all of them. I kept the revise and resubmit one essay policy when I moved to high school. Along with that essay, they had to submit their original essay and a cover letter explaining what changes had been made and why. Also, I always score grammar separately from the content, and while they should make changes to the grammar in the revision, I never change that grade. I do, however, see improved grammar scores as we go. Lastly, when students submit a revision, I completely replace that new grade. Other caveats of my policy include *no late essays can be revised *essays not meeting word requirements cannot be revised, etc. I like giving students a chance to put those commitments from the self-evaluation forms into practice, but I also know I can’t drive myself crazy with so much grading nonstop. The more revising, the more growth, but you have to protect yourself in the process, too.

I hope this writing series has provided you with the tools and direction you need to get started on a healthy and effective writing program in your own classroom. Just joining me for this post? See the others in this series here:

You can see Post #1 of this series here (Teacher Prep Planning).

You can see Post #2 of this series here (Writer’s Portfolio).

You can see Post #3 of this series here (The RACE paragraph).

You can see Post #4 of this series here (The Writing Process).

I also encourage students to use an online software or program that edits like Grammarly or Paperrater. These will give students free and fast information about what they should correct. I also worn students that there is nothing better than the human eye, so it’s important they do their own proofreading and maybe have our early morning English tutor look over it, too.

Remember that the process is just that – a process. That process can look different for each student and each classroom. It’s the struggle through that is productive and produces great writers.

You can see Post #1 of this series here (Teacher Prep Planning).

You can see Post #2 of this series here (Writer’s Portfolio).

You can see Post #3 of this series here (The RACE paragraph).

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A Formula for Successful Writing Instructions Series: #4 The Writing Process

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:19:43 GMT

A Formula for Successful Writing

Instruction Series #4: The Writing Process

The writing process itself is, of course, what we’ve been working up to during this series. This is showing time. This is game day. This. Is. It. During the writing process, students really have to show what they know. The process itself takes time, and hopefully, you’ve allotted for that. In my writing curriculum, I include a pacing guide for the resources included with it. Here are the steps I follow with my students. (It’s important to note here, too, that I am discussing in this post a writing assignment and not a writing assessment.)

1. Model Papers

Before students take off down the road of composing their own essays, I like to have them see an exemplar first. I usually don’t show them an essay on the same topic on which they will write, but definitely in the same mode. It’s a pretty in-depth look that we do with the exemplar paper because we really take time to break it down. I really like to use my model paper analysis task cards during this step because they help guide students in the direction of how to analyze an exemplar effectively. Multiple exemplars are included in my full writing curriculum, and I always save excellent student essays each year, too, for future reference.

2. Planning & Prewriting

In this step of the writing process, students receive the prompt and stimuli (if they aren’t looking for the researched materials on their own). I also like to have students write from an outline, especially if they are new writers. All of my students, though, are given an outline to consider. I think that an outline helps tremendously if you are preparing students for timed writing assessments, so they can get used to a clear plan of action in that time-restricted setting. The biggest part of the prewriting for me, though, is the thesis statement check. Once I assign the prompt, and students have time (usually overnight or one class period) to work with it, I require them to submit a thesis statement. We use Google Classroom, and that has been an amazing tool for conferencing during the writing process. Students typically submit an entire intro, but the thesis is what’s required in this first phase. Since the thesis statement is the road map to the entire essay, it’s critical that they are on the right track immediately.

3. Drafting and Conferencing

When possible, I schedule time for students to work on writing assignments during class because I want to see how they are doing. Maybe it’s kinda English-teacher nerdy, but I like to watch them work. Some dive right in and just get words down. Others will sit and think and ponder before they put pen to paper. Plus, requiring them to get something done right there in front of them helps with both plagiarism and procrastination. I think that’s why it’s important, too, to give them the tools they need and then just step back and let them go. If it’s a longer assignment, I’ll do another checkpoint after a day or so where they submit a draft online, and I give feedback. I always keep that door open, though. If a student wants me to read his/her paper during the process, I always do. I tell them I’m not a proofreader, but I will most certainly read the content and give feedback. Guided conferencing sheets are included in my full writing curriculum.

4. Workshopping

Once students have had a chance to dig into the body of texts they will be using and have composed several paragraphs of their essay, it’s a good idea to stop and gauge their progress. If you have done a draft check at this point, consider what has been working and what students are struggling with. If you’ve not done a draft check but you know students are going to need work in a certain area (citations, sentence variety, words, etc.), during this step, you’ll be pausing their writing to conduct a short lesson on that topic. To me, that’s what a writing workshop is : a short, focused lesson on one area of writing that students practice and then apply. Depending on your students’ level, you may need a full-blown lesson on the topic, or if students are more advanced or just need a refresher, then you could just do a mini workshop. I have both types of materials available in my full writing curriculum. During an assignment, I do one workshop for sure, and sometimes I do two. I really believe that doing focused lessons allows flexibility in planning and instruction, and it chunks the information for students. That’s why, for me, writing is a process all year long. I don’t teach it all at once. That sets unreasonable expectations on my students and me.

5. Revising & Editing

Once students have participated in the writing workshop, it’s time for them to head back to their papers and begin revising. I call this “revising your live paper.” In other words, I’ve looked at them, given feedback, helped with how to make the paper better BEFORE they are turned in… I actually say, “Before I get out my red pen.” (But I guess that can be a topic for another day.) In some cases, especially with new writers, I’ll use my revising and editing task cards, so students are sure to work through the process genuinely and accurately. Young writers aren’t the most adept at going back through their work to check for errors and make general improvements, so these cards ask questions to point them in the right direction.

Conclusion

I also encourage students to use an online software or program that edits like Grammarly or Paperrater. These will give students free and fast information about what they should correct. I also warn students that there is nothing better than the human eye, so it’s important they do their own proofreading and maybe have an English tutor look over it, too.

Remember that the process is just that – a process. That process can look different for each student and each classroom. It’s the struggle through that is productive and produces great writers.

You can see Post #1 of this series here (Teacher Prep Planning).

You can see Post #2 of this series here (Writer’s Portfolio).

You can see Post #3 of this series here (The RACE paragraph).

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Breaking Down Professional Bullying in the Workplace

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:51:49 GMT

Breaking Down Professional

Bullying in the Workplace

In a study of U.S. workers, 41.4% of respondents reported experiencing psychological aggression at work in the past year representing 47 million U.S. workers. The research found that 13%, or nearly 15 million workers, reported experiencing psychological aggression on a weekly basis. That means that you – like me – have most likely experienced bullying at work. I’m not a psychologist nor do I have any answers, but I do have some real-life scenarios that I’d like to share. Breaking down professional bullying in the workplace starts with bringing it to light.

1. THE “PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE” SCENARIO:

A co-worker decides to set up an anonymous get-one, give-one “shout out board” in the copy machine room. Before long, there are only a few different handwriting samples on the board, and it is immensely clear that a couple people are using the board to compliment each other exclusively- for the silliest things. Plus, people are also giving credit to others, where credit is not due.

Breaking It Down: In theory this board could be good, but most times it’s used to passive aggressively leave people out and “throw shade” – as our teenage students would say. Passive-aggressive behavior often arises when an individual feels powerless and lacks a strong voice in a challenging environment. Bullies who choose the passive aggressive path to target their victims may be feeling fear of being dominated or overlooked once more. Nonetheless, hostile digs, being left out of groups, pointed rhetorical questions to “fact check,” comments that dismiss the vitality of your feelings, lofty comparison, “witch hunts,” and assertions of faulty authority tear people down. The trouble with passive aggressive behavior is that it can be quite subtle. That’s why it’s so damaging in a professional setting — it can sneak up on you and before you know it, your cup is empty, and you don’t even know why.

2. THE “PHYSICALLY AGGRESSIVE” SCENARIO:

Your classrooms walls are thin, and the neighboring teacher has made it quite obvious that he/she just doesn’t like you for reasons you genuinely can’t pinpoint. You stay in your lane – really, you do – but nothing can please them. It’s not long before they are deliberately playing loud music and movies for hours on end each day – even when they aren’t in the room. They host club meetings or other meetings before, during, and after school in the hallway outside the door to disturb you. Eventually, the situation eventually escalates to the point where he/she is making threats and even yelling at you.

Breaking It Down: Physically aggressive bullying in the workplace is opposite of passive aggressive behavior because it’s intended to weaken you on the spot. Workplace aggression can include a wide range of behaviors, ranging from verbal acts (e.g., insulting someone or spreading rumors) to physical attacks (e.g., punching or slapping). Most bullies who choose the physical route are looking for power and dominion, and their actions can cause serious harm. From headaches, to ulcers, to fear, this type of bullying harms not only your emotional health and productivity, but your physical health as well. In the scenario above, it was also part mob mentality, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether it’s one person or more who choose to demean another professional, it’s never acceptable to behave this way.

3. THE “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT” SCENARIO:

In your professional learning committee meeting, you are sharing an email you received from a parent that was one-part hurtful and one-part aggravating. This is the email where the parent is sure her child would do nothing wrong, and she doesn’t understand why you aren’t doing more. (BTW: This child has a referral list a mile long and terrible attendance. You’ve given chance after chance for him/her to get tutoring, etc.) You normally deal with things on your own but turn to your group this time for help because #1) you want to vent a little and need some encouragement and #2) you’re hoping for some advice on how to proceed. One person responds with “Oh, you’re having trouble with Johnny. He never acts that way for me.” As you are picking your chin up off the floor, another person says, “I’m surprised this is bothering you. You’ve been a teacher for years. You need to grow thicker skin.” You immediately feel terrible for bringing it up and begin to wonder if you really are to blame.

Breaking It Down: Consciously or unconsciously, bullies thrive on immediate power. Bullies seek out people who are vulnerable and who are unlikely to retaliate, confront, or report them. Forbes.com says, “The bully tends to be someone who is skilled at manipulating and controlling, but while they see everything as a competition, they do not feel skilled/competent enough to compete on their own merits.” Bullies are often insecure and vulnerable themselves, so bullying helps them conceal their own insecurities and create the appearance that they are in control. No one ever wants to be the one who “looks bad” professionally, but when you are making yourself look better at the expense of someone else, no one ends up looking good.

4. THE “SETTING YOU UP TO FAIL” SCENARIO:

Your inbox is flooded – again – with emails from a colleague, who sees herself as your superior, “reminding” you that you have a to-do list you need to complete – and, oh yeah, the deadline is this afternoon. The list is impossible to complete on time – and you even notice that your deadline is earlier than everyone else’s deadline because your work needs to be “approved” first. In the process of completing the list, you receive yet another email from tech support letting you know that your account has been mysteriously disabled, and there’s nothing they can do about it today — in fact, you’re the only one with this problem. In the meanwhile, you receive more emails from her secretary that you’re behind on everything else you were supposed to be doing, and this time the next guy up on the ladder has been copied on the email. It isn’t long before he’s sending you an email asking why you haven’t completed the tasks yet.

Breaking It Down: This type of scenario can be difficult because it most often comes from or involves a person who is – or sees themselves as a superior – a department chair or a team leader. The bully can often hide behind the premise that, in fact, she does get to tell you what to do, and you’ll have to meet her orders or else. The biggest problem here is that she makes the demands almost impossible to meet, and then you work yourself to death trying to comply – when in reality you never even stood a chance because it was the plan all along to set you up to fail. She may even withhold important information to make you appear incompetent, and this leaves you feeling powerless. She may even stand outside your door or visit your classroom for “observations” regularly to see if she can “catch” you doing something wrong. These people are looking to broadcast your failures and silence your successes, and in teaching that’s often too easy because so many successes are won a little a time and may not be realized until days, months, or even years later. Luckily, it’s not the admin we need to impress.

5. THE “ONLINE BULLYING” SCENARIO:

You are the yearbook sponsor, and you’ve decided to make a few changes to help your super-small staff and to improve the book overall. The changes you’ll need to make mean taking out some “traditions” that have always been, but they really only cover a few people. Your staff and admin are on board, but some seniors and their parents are not. Before long, they’ve taken to their social media channels to blast their feelings into cyberspace. And, unfortunately, they’ve garnered hundreds of “likes and comments” by calling you and your yearbook staffers every name in the book.

Breaking It Down: In this day and age, it’s impossible to discuss bullying and not mention the World Wide Web. Most people consider cyberbullying a teenage issue, but workplace is not immune to cyberbullying. In fact, workplace bullies often use cyberbullying to intimidate coworkers and control their environment. It seems people are so likely to hop on their computers and type up a firestorm of hate, and the fact that they can “hide” behind their screens exacerbates the problem. Another problem with cyberbullies is the “bandwagon effect.” People who have no business join in the bashing – either to direct the attention from themselves or just to perpetuate the drama. Cyberbullies have the benefit of anonymity, lack of face to face confrontation, and widespread, instantaneous impact. Further exacerbating the problem, Tweets and Facebook posts are permanent, often made in haste and without reflection. The reality is that whether it’s done in person or behind a screen, the damage is done as quickly as you press send.

* * *

Teaching is a tough profession. I’ve been in it for almost two decades now, and there is so much tension. Mandates from admin or state boards for teachers to meet certain goals that force us to compete for test scores and bonuses hurt morale, but abusive conduct and bullying in the workplace are completely unacceptable. These situations can take a toll and can really break you down – and then little by little you’ve lost your cause and focus — that cause are the kids, and that’s who we need to be focused on. Are there solutions to these problems? Certainly. However, each case of professional bullying in the workplace is so different and uniquely hurtful that there’s no blanket fix for the problem. Maya Angelou said, “My mission in life is not to merely survive, but to thrive.” In a world where hate and turmoil rage, I echo and embrace her sentiment; I choose joy.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. What are you planning to do in your classroom to help your students avoid and overcome the pain of bullying?

Browse more resources:

@ http://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/ and @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Julie-Faulkner/Search:bullying .

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Teaching Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Cover it All and Engage Your Students

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 17:16:16 GMT

Teaching Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Cover it All and Engage Your Students

From the history to the hysteria, the fears to the fury, and the lies to the love story, it is understandable why The Crucible is still a staple in many high school English classrooms. There are so many layers crafted in the lines of Arthur Miller’s magnum opus, but that can be a blessing and a “curse.” Such a rich plot line can be a literature teacher’s dream come true; however, it can also raise two concerns: 1) how much is too much to cover and 2) what if I miss something important? We don’t want to “burn” the students with boring information when teaching The Crucible , but we do want to make sure they have the full picture to best understand and enjoy Miller’s creation. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing how I set the stage to engage my students and how to teach Arthur Miller’s The Crucible .

TEACHABLE MOMENT #1) ALLEGORY > MCCARTHYISM

What It Is: Arthur Miller had very specific reasons for writing The Crucible in the 1950s, and one of those reasons was to expose the issues circling in the government at the time period. These issues were known as the Red Scare, and the hysteria of this time period was spurred in part by a man named Joseph McCarthy. His own political agenda fueled by greed and vengeance paired with the public’s genuine fear of a Communist takeover was the perfect storm. Therefore, it is important for students to understand the historical context before they start reading the play. I tell students that fighters fight with their fists, but writers fight with their words. Miller wanted to reveal the truth behind the Red Scare by using his platform and position in Hollywood.

How I Teach It: This is actually where I start my unit. ( Read here for more ways to start a literature unit. ) I briefly define allegory, a story with a double/symbolic meaning, and then since none of my students lived through the 1950s ��, I take a day or class period to provide an overview of the Red Scare. Typically, students read an article with a set of succinct questions that I’ve written to point them directly to the key issues of that time period: McCarthy’s motivation, HUAC, fear of communism, victims of accusations, etc. I never spend days at a time teaching historical background information because my purpose in teaching the text isn’t historically driven but is important to cover this historical information so students will be able to recognize the allegorical layer of the text once they start reading. ( Hear more on my thoughts of keeping background info minimal .) Opening the unit with a quick overview of the historical context and how that makes the play an allegory give students a deeper understanding and also lays the groundwork for the play’s important themes that will emerge later in the unit, but it doesn’t bore them. You can grab the article and questions that I use in my The Crucible Complete Literature Guide .

TEACHABLE MOMENT #2) PURITAN CULTURE AND THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

What It Is: Once students know that the play was written in a way to “throw shade” or “call out” issues of the time period in which it was written, learning about Miller’s character choices makes more sense. While the play is fiction, it is based on facts – the facts of the Salem Witch Trials that occurred in 1692 where 25 people fell victim to the hysteria. Miller couldn’t use the villains of the ’50s as his characters, so he turned back the pages in history to centuries before, when unfortunately a similar hysteria had taken place. The Puritans, a devoutly religious group who came to the “New World” on a divine mission, set out to eliminate any signs of evil influence or deviant behavior from their small town in hopes that their own path to heaven wouldn’t be destroyed. Miller took these facts and bent them to fit the plot of his play.

How I Teach It: Because the main characters are the Puritans, many teachers choose to take several days to explain their beliefs and lifestyles. I’ve done that, too, but I realized very quickly that too much front-loading can take away from the “magic” of the text and also eliminates the possibility of students drawing their own conclusions about the Puritans from right inside the text using Miller’s crafty characterization, dialogue, and conflict. In lieu of long presentations and pages of notes about Calvinism, Puritan class and government structure, and even Salem, when I’m teaching The Crucible , I elect to quickly overview this topic with a set of task cards that I set up in stations for students to rotate through if I have time. If time is short, I’ll use a brief video with the same information. This puts accurate information in my students’ schema, so once we start reading, they can make their own inferences – but inferences based on fact (standard covered!)

TEACHABLE MOMENT #3) FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN THE CRUCIBLE

What It Is: Figurative language shows up through dialogue throughout the play and in the title as well. To me, Miller’s use of language is what makes the play so interesting to read and act out – and quotable! There are so many passages where the words hold so much weight and beauty and mean so much because of the way Miller plays with the language. And, speaking of playing with the language, the title itself is a play on words. The word crucible has three different definitions:

Analyzing the meaning behind the language as well as the title is an important part of any literature-based unit plan.

How I Teach It : A quick review of figurative language is always a good place to start. If you need a solid student-facing tutorial of the types, you can use my video with students. It’s free. Then, with each act, I have students complete a figurative language exercise where they not only identify but also explain lines from the play that include figurative language. I even made a figurative language page in my The Crucible coloring sheets. At the end of the play, one of the culminating writing prompts we do involve students explicating the meaning of the title, given all definitions. This prompt and my figurative language worksheets can be found in my The Crucible Unit Complete Literature Guide .

TEACHABLE MOMENT #4) THE ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

What It Is : The elements of drama are unique to the dramatic genre of literature. These terms include monologue, soliloquy, aside, stage directions, and dialogue.

How I Teach It: These terms are best taught as a vocabulary lesson at the beginning of the unit. By the time students are to the level of schooling where The Crucible is being read, they have been exposed to these terms before. I have learned, though, that it’s better to be safe than sorry — never assume. So you might be in one of two boats:

If you are teaching The Crucible , in part, to cover the elements of drama and students are learning these terms for the first time, then you’ll want a more intensive lesson. I have an entire teaching pack prepared to teach and test the terms , and it’s not included in my The Crucible teaching pack .
If you are just reviewing the terms, I like to go over the terms in context as a “step-back” or close reading exercise after we’ve read Act 1.

Along with this “must have” when teaching The Crucible , it is important to note that it is these elements that make it a play– and a play is meant to be seen and heard! Plan to grab some costumes and give students space to make the play come alive! My teaching pack includes abridged scripts for each act, which are perfect for reader’s theater.

Another note here regarding stage directions – I don’t read the long stage directions that Miller sprinkles in between and throughout the acts. We’ve done most of that in pre-reading, and I want to keep the momentum going. I use an audiobook from Amazon that we read along with while I instruct. I don’t have students read each word of the play; it takes too long and often isn’t always as enjoyable. I also do show a few clips of it being acted throughout as well as clips of the movie version. Listening, watching, reading excerpts aloud, and acting in reader’s theaters provide more variety.

TEACHABLE MOMENT #5) CHARACTERIZATION

What Is It : Characterization is how a writer paints the “people” in the story, but in The Crucible, the motives of each character tie directly to the conflict and propel the plot.

How I Teach It: As stated above with the elements of drama, if your students are unfamiliar with the techniques of characterization, you’ll want to do a lesson with them at some point. Otherwise, you can just review. In my case, I usually review (at the junior level), and then we start working on our character motive trackers with each act. A lesson characterization is not included in my Crucible unit, but I do have a teaching pack available (see it here) . Characterization activities are most certainly included in the unit, though.

Taking a deep dive into the “wheels within wheels and fires and within fires” of this play has always been something I look forward to in my high school English curriculum. In fact, teaching The Crucible in American Literature has always been one of my favorite texts for several reasons. It may seem that a play written decades ago about people from centuries ago might not appeal to today’s teenagers, but I never found that to be the case. Once we dove into the dialogue, my students were always hooked from the opening scene.

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Everything You Need to Know About Bringing Food to Your Classroom

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:58:16 GMT

Everything You Need to Know About

Bringing Food to Your Classroom

If your students are like mine, they are always hungry — food is always on their brains. It makes sense, though, when you think about the basic hierarchy of needs. Maslow says that lower-level basic needs like food, water, and safety must be met first before higher needs can be fulfilled. Of course, students can’t fully concentrate on learning when they are hungry. However, for many reasons, teachers can’t be expected to take on the role of fulfilling that need for every student each and every day; that’s not really the goal of this post. I do think, though, that bringing food into the classroom can have many benefits and purposes, and thus, it is a fabulous tool for classroom use on certain occasions and for specific reasons. If you’ve been hesitant to bring food in or are looking for some tips and ideas to do so, I’m sharing five ways you can bring food into your classroom in this blog post. Here’s what you need to know to make food meaningful in class.

FOOD IN THE CLASSROOM FOR TEXT-BASED EXPERIENCE

One opportunity to make food part of your lesson is when you want to make the text come alive… you want students to experience the text in a sensory way. If the text itself mentions food or you want students to have the opportunity to explore the culture of the people you are reading about, having food in class is a great way to do that. For example, when we read Elie Weisel’s Night , I make matzo balls. When we read Chapter 3 in The Great Gatsby , I like to bring orange juice and ginger ale so they can “experience” a party at Gatsby’s. Other teacher friends have brought in Greek food for students to sample when reading the Odyssey or Julius Caesar . Anytime there is food mentioned that specifically ties to a theme, symbol, or cultural element in a text, making that connection for students is memorable.

FOOD IN THE CLASSROOM FOR FUN

The title of this section might be a little misleading because I wouldn’t suggest bringing food with no purpose! What I mean here is using food to relate what you are doing but rather than it being directly mentioned in the text, it is connected another way or serves as a celebration. For example, after having read the first two acts of The Crucible , we usually watch the movie up to that point. I like to have a little snack for them, so I do something “punny” from the text: I serve “chicken blood” (red juice) and “beans and lintels” (bean dip). That calls attention to some of the conflict in the story and is fun! See more about how I teach The Crucible here. I’ve done a similar menu for Macbeth , “A Man with Enormous Wings,” and The Metamorphosis .

Another way to bring food for fun is to celebrate. Once when we finished reading Fahrenheit 451, we had a class party, where students brought food. All the food was either hot (spicy) or red, orange, or yellow in color. And of course, there’s always just the general end-of-unit/book party. That applies to any book that has a great party scene. See a full list of those scenes over at this Gatsby party post.

BRAIN FOOD

To quote a Snickers ad: “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry.” Back to Maslow for a minute here. There are times when I need my students to operate at full capacity. Many of those times are when I’ve planned a workday for them – to work on essays, study for exams, meet deadlines, etc. – and a little extra brain food and/or beverage goes a long way. I usually set up a coffee or hot chocolate bar and include a few sweet snacks. In those cases, I’ll transform my classroom into a coffee shop! Click to see my classroom transformation over on Instagram here AND at this post, too !

FOOD FOR CLASSROOM CLIMATE

One way to add positive vibes to your classroom is with food. I like to greet students on the first day with a snack that goes along with my classroom theme. See my “Welcome Home – Journey Theme” in this blog post. I usually just do a small gift at their desk with a name tag; this doubles as my seating chart. I also give my yearbook staff students a gift when they sign up, and sometimes that’s an edible treat! Other times, my yearbook has hosted Friendsgiving! For the holidays, I’ve done a hot chocolate bar to celebrate the end of the semester for my seniors. We can all agree something is comforting about food, so using food to bridge a gap as a gift or to celebrate gives all the good vibes, and I’m here for it.

FOOD IN THE CLASSROOM AS MANIPULATIVES

Another favorite way to bring food into your classroom is by making it the tool that students use to complete an activity. When we do team-building activities in yearbook specifically, I like to use food in some form or fashion. I’ve done the marshmallow and noodle challenge several times with much success. My Lord of the Flies challenges also require food! See more about those challenges in this blog post. Another favorite activity I’ve done that involves food is my Build a Monster Workshop when we read Frankenstein. I usually just grab whatever kind of food I have around and let the students go! Whatever is left over, they can eat. My science teacher friends have had students make cakes to illustrate a cell, and other times they’ve made ice cream in chemistry. When food is involved in the learning process, students are all in!

A COUPLE OF QUICK REMINDERS WHEN BRINGING FOOD INTO YOUR CLASSROOM:

Food Allergies
School Policies
Not every student can bring food
Bugs!
A plan for cleaning up
Look for sales — think candy after major holidays

I would love to hear other times you bring food to your classroom. Share in the comments below.

Get a FREE classroom menu planning page by signing up for my email list. (You’ll actually get all the past, present, and future freebies that my email followers receive in the next scheduled email blast!) Click Here to Sign Up .

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Everything You Need to Know About Celebrating a Solar Eclipse in Your English Classroom

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:37:18 GMT

Everything You Need to Know

About Celebrating a Solar Eclipse

in Your English Classroom

During my time in the classroom, the world has experienced two solar eclipses – in totality. That’s a pretty big deal — so much so that most schools in the area and beyond even adjust their schedules. Of course, I wanted to use it as a teachable moment in my classroom, and “totally” join in on the fun! Therefore, I’m sharing everything you need to know about celebrating the solar eclipse in your English classroom.

READING TEXTS FOR THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

> Informational Texts About Solar Eclipses

Find some articles that explain what happens during an eclipse. Any of the following would work:

From Space.com
From NASA
From Vanderbilt

For the solar eclipse lesson I did with my dual enrollment seniors, they read the article and annotated it. Then, in groups, they had to make a poster displaying that information. There were many skills that I was able to cover in this lesson including reading complex informational (scientific texts which score points for ACT science); summarizing; classifying information; speaking & listening; art. Depending on what type of information the article conveys and what skill you’d like to teach or review, you can adjust the response your students produce. Before conducting the lesson, review close reading strategies with my Close Reading and Annotating Teaching Pack .

> Nonfiction/Memoirs That Relate Thematically

One memoir that comes to mind is Elie Wiesel’s Night . In this nonfiction text, the theme of darkness symbolizes Wiesel’s experience during the Holocaust. In my complete unit for Night , I have students explore this very concept with an interactive plot chart symbolized by moon phases. Students review the phases and then relate each phase of the moon cycle to a point along the plot in the memoir.

> Science Fiction

Ray Bradbury is the first author who comes to mind when science fiction is mentioned. He expertly explored and explicated his imagination of the future and even life outside of Earth in relation to and as a reflection of our own humanity. I’ll be reading his “All Summer in a Day” with my juniors for our eclipse lesson. While the characters in the story actually are waiting to see the sun, and we will be waiting to do the opposite on solar eclipse day, Margot, the main character, is literally in the dark and misses the experience entirely because of her antagonistic classmates. See my easy prep, ready-to-go lesson with other paired texts and a complete sun-themed unit . I think this lesson would also work well with younger students, too. If you are looking for a science fiction text for more advanced students, check out Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall. Pair it with my literary analysis task cards for any text, and your students won’t be in the dark for long.

> Drama (aka Shakespeare)

We can’t overlook Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and A Midnight Summer’s Dream in our list of “solar-themed” texts to read as we celebrate the solar eclipse in our middle or high school English classrooms! Check out my post Everything You Need to Know About Teaching Shakespeare with a Translation for more information on teaching Shakespeare. Use my literary analysis worksheets for any text to make teaching Shakespeare that much easier!

> Novels

If you have time to launch a full novel study during the time of year when a solar eclipse rolls around, here are several texts that might enlighten your students!

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yun
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
The Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

> Songs & Poetry

Students love the opportunity to listen to songs in class, and I don’t mind when we study them as poetry. Take a look at Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” or Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of My Heart.” These two songs in particular are rich with figurative language and a particularly appropriate dark tone. A classic poem that my students always connect with is Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.” It really makes them think! You can take a look at my poetry single activity for a no-prep lesson with this poem . Also, grab my poetry analysis bundle with a variety of tools including poetry worksheets, poetry analysis task cards that are perfect for stations, and vocabulary review games. You’ll be all set to guide your students through a celestial poetry analysis.

WRITING ABOUT A SOLAR ECLIPSE

Students don’t usually get “starry-eyed” about writing, but when the topics are as cool as a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse event, even the most reluctant writers will “shine.”

Narrative Prompt – Tell a story of what happens if the moon doesn’t move out from in front of the sun, and it stays dark forever. Teach younger students to use descriptive language when writing narratives using my interactive “Show. Don’t Tell.” sorting game .

Explanatory Prompt – Compare and contrast the different types of solar eclipses. (This would be a perfect follow-up to the informational text reading activity above.)

Explanatory Prompt – Write to explain what causes a total solar eclipse to occur.

Argumentative Prompt – Your school is considering closing for Solar Eclipse Day, but some of the school board members disagree. Write to convince them to let you have the day off. If your students need extra practice or an introduction to counterclaims, my Claims and Counterclaims Teaching Pack is sure to brighten their arguments.

Persuasive Prompt: Many cities across the country are planning events and celebrations to host viewing parties for the Great American Solar Eclipse. Have your students use propaganda techniques and figurative language to create posters advertising a real – or imagined – viewing party in your neck of the woods. Sneak in a little review of the types of propaganda with my complete teaching pack .

Research Prompt: Research the history of solar eclipses and make a presentation with your findings. If your students need to brush up on MLA formatting, use my complete MLA 9th Teaching Pack with an easy cheat sheet you can print and give them.

CELEBRATE THE SOLAR ECLIPSE WITH A MOVIE IN YOUR ENGLISH CLASSROOM

You won’t need special solar eclipse glasses — or 3D glasses either — for this list but your students will enjoy a little movie break and you will appreciate that you can still cover a few standards! Learn more about Teaching with Movies at this post of mine .

A Raisin in the Sun ( Grab my no-prep movie guide here .)
Race the Sun ( Grab my no-prep movie guide here. )
The Twilight Saga (Connect it to R&J.)

If you have your own themed solar eclipse movies, let me know in the comments section! Also, take a look at my no-prep movies guides in print and digital that make showing movies meaningful and easy.

THROW A PARTY WITH THEMED-FOOD

While food may not seem like it matches a standard, if you make it themed or punny, it does! Read more about Everything You Need to Know About Bringing Food into Class at this post . Stock up on these solar eclipse-themed food items for your classroom party:

Sunny D
Sun Chips
Moon Pies
Star Crunch Little Debbies
Cosmic Brownies Little Debbies
Sunkist Soda
Milky Way Candy Bars
Starburst Candies
Eclipse Gum
Sun Drop Soda
Starbucks Cold Brew
Pop Rocks
Orbit Gum

LISTEN TO A PODCAST ABOUT THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

Grab those earbuds or headphones and get students plugged into a podcast about the solar eclipse. This list is school-appropriate and great for various ages. Find out more info about each podcast on my FREE list of podcasts (on any topic) with suggestions here . Just search “solar eclipse” on the document and plug and play! Plus – print my podcast listening guides ( grab them here ), and you’ll have the perfect no-prep lesson for celebrating the solar eclipse in your English classroom.

The Solar Eclipse & Wildlife Subject of New DEC Podcast
Inquisikids Daily
Brains On! Science podcast for kids
Found in Space: A Science Podcast for Kids and Teens
Lore (“All Fall Down” Ep 74)

I’m not forcing students to read Shakespeare, as I’ve seen people say. I’m offering them new opportunities. Many of my rural students may never pick up a copy of Shakespeare again, but that wasn’t my goal anyway. Call me a sucker for tradition, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to see my students succeed with something as challenging as Shakespeare when given the right tools. If you visit my classroom, rest assured that you’ll find a stack of Shakespeare Made Easy books ready to go.

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What I Learned About Teaching from My Summer Vacation at Disney World

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:13:53 GMT

What I Learned About Teaching from

My Summer Vacation at Disney World

My family and I traveled to Disney World several years ago, and I hadn’t been there even half a day before I started feeling inspired. For me, school is pretty much always on my brain, so it’s not surprising that it came to mind even when I was on vacation! But, truthfully, there is so much going on at Disney that I couldn’t help but learn from the best while enjoying my time at the happiest place on earth. Many of these things that I noticed at Disney reaffirmed what I’ve done in my classroom for years, but it’s nice to review, revisit, and recap. Here’s what I learned about teaching from my summer vacation at Disneyworld.

1. YOU CAN HAVE A HAPPY PLACE AND STILL HAVE RULES

Disney is known for being “the happiest place on earth.” How is it possible, then, that the happiest place has rules? Oh, they do. They want you to move left, stay inside the tape, stand in straight lines, keep your hands and feet inside, etc. Why do they do this? So people are safe and get to do ALL. THE. THINGS they came to do. In turn – happiness. They aren’t unreasonable rules and requests at all. However, don’t most of our students – and maybe even the public – think that rules are just for fuddy-duddies who want to put a damper on all the fun? I, for one, believe in establishing rules up front so it’s clear what the expectations are. I don’t like to make rules that are arbitrary or just have a bunch of rules just for the sake of having rules, but there must be a set of guidelines. In my classroom, I typically select 3-5 overarching rules that serve as my classroom expectations – and that are good rules to live by as well. Too many rules and all you’ll be doing is enforcing rules, but if you don’t have some rules to control the chaos, the chaos will control you.

I’ve had the following three rules hanging in my classroom for 10 years now:

Mrs. Faulkner Rule #1: Own it and stay in your lane.

Mrs. Faulkner Rule #2: Be aware of your surroundings.

Mrs. Faulkner Rule #3: Make a way, not an excuse.

You might notice I don’t have rules about gum, food, phones, etc. Now, I do talk about these specific items on the first day. Check out my fun Classroom Rules Emoji Puppets for doing just that! I’ve learned if students are following those governing guidelines above and if I’m doing my job of actively teaching and facilitating each period, we can have a successful and happy place. Be consistent with enforcing the rules.

2. SCHEDULES, PLANS, ROUTINES, & STRUCTURE ARE NECESSARY FOR THINGS TO RUN SMOOTHLY, FOR THINGS TO GET DONE, & FOR EVERYONE TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT

Disney has everything planned down to the minute, and there is very, very little interruption to the plan. If you think about how much they have going on to make the parks the happiest places on earth, it’s critical to establish and maintain routines. They have a plan for shows, parades, buses, rides, fast passes, rain delays, and more. They even publish specifically when and where the characters will appear. Now think about how much we have going on in the classroom: attendance, lunch count, signing field trip forms, turning in lesson plans, differentiating, signing devices on the wi-fi, providing make-up work, collecting homework, passing out tasks, assigning groups, managing behavior, teaching, collecting work, grading work, giving feedback, counseling, scheduling conferences, RTI, passing out a Band-aid, and on and on. Imagine if there were no plan for how to take attendance or how to pass out papers, etc. It would be chaos, kids would know you had no plan, and you wouldn’t get anything done.

I am probably an over-planner or over-scheduler, but I do have a plan for every minute of my class period, every day of the week, and even an extended plan for the month. I have routines for turning in papers, passing out papers, getting in groups, and so forth and so on. Now, no plan, routine, or schedule is any good if no one knows what it is. That’s why Disney publishes pamphlets each day and even has an app. During the first few days of school, I talk about my classroom routines and schedules. We even practice, so they know what to expect. Some may argue that it takes up precious time at the beginning of the year, but it SAVES so much time later on. Plus, I just work them into what we are doing so that it feels natural. Each week I write the daily schedule on the board, and each day, I go over the daily plan with students before we start the lesson. We are all on the same page that way and can get moving.

3. KINDNESS AND SMILES MATTER

There are so many opinions about whether or not to smile at students right away or be overly kind to them. I would even say that my own opinion here has evolved over the years. The people who work at Disney wear a smile as part of their uniform – and maybe they are just genuinely happy to be there. I mean, if I were a Disney princess instead of a high school English teacher, then maybe I’d be all smiles all the time, too. But I did choose to be a teacher – I want to be there. So why wouldn’t I let my kids know that with a smile? Can you be kind and smile AND maintain a professional image and relationship with students? Absolutely – yes. I am 100% not my students’ friend – not in any way, shape, form, or fashion. That doesn’t mean, though, that I can’t – or won’t – be kind to them. That also doesn’t mean that I have no classroom management either or that I’m crossing any lines or that I’m not stern or won’t correct them. Believe me, I have plenty of lines drawn. (Read more about my philosophy on classroom management here. )

Kids of all ages crave kindness, and for the 90 minutes that I have each day, I need to find ways to show kindness. Circling back to the idea of really wanting to be there – I do, and I like to see kids learning and hear what they have to say. That makes me smile. They make me smile. So, from the first day of school to the last, I greet them at the door and smile. I say please, thank you, and great job, and I really mean it. Smiles are contagious – give one and get one!

4. HAVE A GRAND FINALE, BUT ALSO START WITH THE FIRE FINGERS

The best closing show at Disney this year, in my opinion, was the Fantasmic Show at Hollywood Studios. I loved all the closing and opening shows at all the parks because Disney doesn’t ever do anything halfway, but the HS park show had several things that really spoke to me in terms of back-to-school. If you’ve seen the show, you know that it opens with lights and music – it’s the best and biggest lead at any of the shows, and so you are expecting something really, really great. Then up from a mountain on a stage far, far away pops up a teeny, tiny Mickey. Granted, it was a live Mickey and not a projection or puppet, but he was so, so small. I guess I was just expecting more. Then several minutes of almost nothing goes by and out of nowhere, he starts to dance and shoot fire from his fingertips!! That is a new level of spirit fingers, folks! Immediately, I was in.

Why didn’t they start with that? Why didn’t they start with the fire fingers? The lead-in was good and it got me interested, but then it was a huge let-down – until minutes later when Mickey whipped out those fire fingers. When I think about applying this experience to my classroom this year, I reaffirmed that I must start and end the lesson with something great to get my students’ attention. It certainly won’t be fire fingers every time – or ever LOL! – but it needs to be relevant to activate their learning and draw them in – and keep them in – before I lose them. The law of primacy and recency says you remember the best whatever is at the beginning and end. I’ll carefully plan bell ringers this year and exit tickets with specific purposes and pizazz so they aren’t just a waste of time or means to an end or a way to check a box. For me, that will look like carefully chosen daily grammar practice because my junior and seniors have ACT on the brain. For the yearbook, it will be inspirational photos and team-building tasks. To end, I’ll be sure to have students review the lesson and make their own connections. The beginning and end really do matter and make meaning. Every day won’t be “on fire” – that’s just going to be a reality – but this reminded me I do need to bring it to the best of my ability day in and day out.

5. KEEP THE FOCUS AND PURPOSE IN MIND

went to Disney with my family and two nieces – nine and three at the time. The girls are super familiar with most Disney characters, and for those we knew they weren’t interested in, we didn’t spend much time at. But there was one show we went to and about halfway through, my three-year-old niece asked, “Who is that?” We all knew who it was and hadn’t even thought that she might not know. At that moment I realized that might be how our students feel when we present new material to them. Sometimes we take for granted they know it. Because I have a very tight schedule, I can’t afford to spend time teaching material they already know, but I also can’t afford for them to be lost and have to rush and make it up later. So, at the beginning of the year, I always give a pre-test of 100 words that every high school English student should know . These are words from the CCSS, standardized testing words, and other words that are specific to English. Also, it’s really important to share with students the purpose of the lesson or activity for the day. They need to know why they are learning it and how it connects with the larger purpose. I usually explain it so explicitly to them so that they could tell anyone who comes into the class period to observe or anyone they talk to after class.

At the end of the day, Disney is in the business of making dreams come true. But we teachers are, too. In fact, the biggest of dreams are in our hands. What an honor and privilege to have that role in someone’s life. As I prepare for back-to-school this year, I want to make as much magic in my classroom each and every day that I possibly can. Here’s to a “Soarin’” kinda year, and not a “Hollywood Tower of Terror” kinda one!

Share with me in the comments how you prepare for back-to-school.

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What I Learned About Test Prep from My Handgun Permit Class

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:59:48 GMT

What I Learned About Test Prep

from My Handgun Permit Class

Last week I took a handgun safety/permit class. My husband had accidentally let his permit expire, so we decided to take the class together this time around. I wasn’t super sure it was something I wanted to do, but I accepted the challenge. While I was taking the class, it dawned on me that I really hadn’t been a student in a really, really long time, so I’m glad that I had this opportunity. As a result, after the second day of class, which was the performance test, my head was swimming with ideas for this blog post – super fitting for this test-prep-time-of-year. Thus, I’m writing this blog post from the point of view of a student, but I’m going to throw in a few teacher take-aways regarding test prep strategies and ideology along the way.

TEST-PREP PRACTICE

Prior to the class, my husband prepped me at home with the firearm. We practiced what I needed to know for the performance part of the test because that was the hardest part. He set up a target in the backyard and gave me a quick tutorial on what I needed to know about loading the gun and shooting at the target. The whole time we were shooting the wind was blowing, and the teeny, tiny target he set on the ground fifteen yards away kept moving. Honestly, it wasn’t doing much for my confidence level. He assured me I would be fine, and we wrapped up the practice session. It wouldn’t be until the performance piece of the test that I would realize the value of the level of “hardness” of that practice session. The instructors of the class also provided a run-through of the performance segment of the test, too, and in that exercise, we learned that we would be shooting a target much closer than what my husband and I had practiced at home, which was actually good news. And when we got to the range, we saw the targets were posted high and steadily on a board.

Teacher Take-away #1) Once at the range, I felt really prepared for the actual test because I had practiced with someone who knew the test. My husband had already taken it once, so he had an idea of what would be expected. It’s really hard to prepare for something unfamiliar or unknown. That gave me confidence in him as my tutor, and it allowed him to teach me what I needed to know to be successful. Anytime I can go to training for assessments that my state offers, I do because knowing what’s expected is half the battle.

Teacher Take-away #2) We practiced at home with circumstances that were way harder than the actual test, and I think that was critical. If I had practiced with something too easy – which it isn’t in my husband’s nature to let me off the hook anyway – then it would have been very likely that I would have struggled with the actual test. It helped tremendously that my practice session was set up harder than the real thing. I don’t test my students in class with the easiest prompts or questions. In fact, I go overboard sometimes with the difficulty level, so I can truly push them. Then, when test day comes, they are relieved at how prepared they were.

The left picture below shows what my husband had set up for me at home…. and it was so windy that day, so the little yard sign with the little orange dot was waving in the wind. The right picture shows the targets at the range, and you can see the other people back there setting up. Look how closely they are standing and large the targets are!! LOL!

VOCABULARY FOR TEST PREP

During the lecture segment of the course, one of the main components the instructors focused on was vocabulary. As a student, this was really important for me because I didn’t really know all the terminology I needed. It may be odd to consider that I would even need vocabulary words to be able to handle and shoot a gun properly, but it really is key. For example, during the performance test, the instructor told us to load our magazines and hold them up. In my domain, a magazine is something you read. In this very different domain, a magazine is what holds the ammo. Without an understanding of the vocabulary for this domain, I wouldn’t have known what to do. The vocabulary also showed up throughout the standardized test, as well, and it either helped me choose the right answer or eliminate the wrong ones.

Teacher Take-away: I had to know the terms in context in order to understand what I was expected to do on the multiple-choice test and at the range. On some of the questions, I had to use the process of elimination with the answer choices based on the vocabulary. I am also thankful we covered key terms because many of them were used in the questions. The same is true for state standardized tests; without an understanding of crucial vocabulary, students may not even be able to read and understand the questions. And it’s really important to learn the words in context. I rarely give my students just lists of words to memorize; we take words from the texts we read and do a lot of work with context clues. I use this list of vocabulary words for my high school English class .

SCENARIOS IN TEST PREP

For someone who hasn’t been in a situation to use a handgun or need one (and hope I never am), it would have been really hard to work through some of the questions on the test since all this was pretty foreign to me. A key component of the course, along with the vocabulary and hands-on demonstrations, was the use of scenarios. They not only gave scenarios for when to use a firearm but also when not to use a firearm. For me, it helped me not to just memorize the information, but I was truly able to internalize it, and I still remember those scenarios/stories days after the test.

Teacher Take-away: Brain research says that teaching strategies such as role-playing and storytelling are effective because we remember what we are involved in, and the brain remembers stories because they are connected together with a beginning, middle, and end. When I give examples and demonstrations to my students as well, I try to bring in examples and non-examples to show the actual target.

THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR TEST PREP

During practice at home, we used a semi-automatic. I wore protective eye and ear gear. I practiced my stance and how to hold my hands. I loaded the gun myself. When we got to the class, some people shared they had practiced with revolvers, and some shared they hadn’t previously practiced at all. The latter wasn’t really as big of an issue as the first. The instructors wanted everyone to qualify with a semi-automatic because they can shoot more rounds, and it was faster since we had so many people in the class. So, the people who had practiced with a revolver prior or who had already been shooting and developed bad habits struggled quite a bit during the exam.

Teacher Take-away: When we do practice for testing (because that really is a thing that must happen), we must do so with circumstances as similar to the real thing as possible. When my students take a practice writing exam, I run copies of the lined paper they will actually use. I set timers for the exact time limits. When we can, we even go test in the same rooms. The unknown and unfamiliar can be uncomfortable, and I want to eliminate as many curve balls as possible.

ENCOURAGEMENT

My instructors and husband were so encouraging and uplifting the entire time. They weren’t worried about failure, but rather so confident of success. I needed that because I just wasn’t so sure of myself. I tend to fear failure, and I can let it get the best of me – to the point I shut down and won’t keep trying. Thankfully, their positivity and confidence helped me do my best.

Teacher Take-away: I am very guilty of pushing too much – review, practice, review, practice, review, and so on. I don’t mean it to seem this way, but I think that can convey the message that I don’t have confidence in what students already know. So, this year I packed up my intimidating, draining test review materials and made a conscious effort to use games and positive projects to keep my students’ self-esteem built up. And words. Just the power of positive words. Take a look at this lesson that I created earlier in the week with some words to inspire .

Going into the class, I knew there would be a standardized test and a performance test. So, I had to concentrate and focus, even if it was at the end of a long day and even if it was going to be a lot of new material that I had to learn quickly. Honestly, I was nervous; in fact, a wave of anxiety hit me when the instructors were handing out the test. I thought, “This is exactly what my students must feel like.” I hadn’t been in this scenario in YEARS. I am really glad that I had this opportunity if for nothing else than that reason alone.

Sometimes we forget to put ourselves in our students’ shoes -for any scenario- and that paradigm shift was just what I needed to help me help my students through this testing season.

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The Power of “I Don't Know” – as a Teacher

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:48:40 GMT

Why Embracing 'I Don’t Know' Makes You a Stronger Teacher

We’ve all been in those moments as teachers where a student asks a question, and we just don’t know the answer. It can feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even embarrassing—especially early in your teaching career when you might think you’re supposed to have all the answers. When I first started teaching -- and even now -- admitting “I don’t know” felt impossible. I worried it would make me look unprepared or unqualified in front of my students. Instead of confidently navigating those situations, I sometimes stuttered through an explanation—or worse, made something up. Over time, though, I’ve learned that saying 'I don’t know' as a teacher can actually be empowering, both for you and your students. Now, I view it as an opportunity for growth rather than a sign of weakness. After all, we’d never let our students use “I don’t know” as an excuse to give up. Instead, we push them to think critically by asking, “What do you know so far?”

In this post, I’m sharing how embracing “I don’t know” can transform your teaching mindset and help alleviate some of the stress we all feel as educators.

Letting Go of the Pressure to Know Everything

We've all had this nightmare: The one where you’re in front of a class and students ask you a question to which you don't know the answer. If you are like me, you felt horrified. It’s the little stuff I’m talking about here that students ask that would make me squirm if I didn’t know the answer. For example, what’s for lunch? Really! I just always felt like I had to be on top of everything 100% of the time. Honestly, that is just one more thing I don’t need on my plate. (Pun intended) No one gives me the lunch menu in email or in my box. I would have to make a special trip to get it. So, no. I don’t know what is being served for lunch, what clubs are meeting Friday, how to clean the cookies on a tablet, or who is taking the bowling field trip next week. Not my circus. I don’t need that extra info floating around in my head! Kids just expect that since we are the teacher, we should know ALL the answers. Frankly, that’s just a lot of extra pressure I don’t need. “Let me help you find someone who does know” – that’s my response. It’s so liberating to free myself of the pressure of feeling like I must respond to every question a student asks, but I never leave them hanging without a way to find the answer they need.

When Classroom Questions Go Beyond Your Expertise

Of course, there are times when students ask questions that feel more relevant to the lesson—or at least somewhat related. Those moments used to really make me nervous. When I taught British Literature as a senior English teacher, I covered a lot of British literature. While I’d studied enough to teach the material effectively, I didn't have every detail about medieval life memorized. Some students, inspired by video games or movies, are curious about obscure historical details—like the names of every king and queen from the time period. I just don't know those details.

Similarly, during our book club discussions, students sometimes catch details I’ve forgotten. With three different novels going at once across multiple classes, it’s easy for me to mix things up. For example, a couple of weeks ago, my students in a book club discussion of Columbine asked about the gloves Eric and Dylan wore during the massacre. They had a fascinating point about the symbolism, which led to another question about whether one of them was left- or right-handed. I vaguely remembered that detail but couldn’t recall it clearly.

Instead of trying to bluff my way through, we looked it up together. To my surprise, we discovered it was actually an unresolved detail in the investigation. Moments like these remind me that saying ‘I don’t know’ as a teacher is an opportunity to model curiosity and collaboration. It shows students that learning doesn’t stop with their teacher—it’s a shared journey.

When Students Become the Teachers

How many times are students doing something about which you don’t have a clue? Honestly, I could make a list a mile long—or longer. These days, it might be phrases like “rizz,” “no cap,” or “it’s giving,” and half the time I’m not even sure I’m hearing them correctly. Sometimes, I ignore their newest fad, but other times, if it somehow relates—or if I’m curious—I’ll ask them to teach me. For example, a few years ago, I learned how to dab. (Thankfully, that’s one fad that didn’t last long.) And there was the time my students introduced me to Danielle Bregoli—only because her infamous statement showed up on one of their Canterbury Tales memes. I wasn’t going to let it fly because I didn’t know what it meant. I literally said, “I have no idea what that even means. No, you can’t use it.” Laughter erupted from the entire class as they quickly told me the entire story—complete with video. I am now scarred for life.

All in all, I don’t really need to know who Danielle Bregoli is or how to dab, but the real benefit is that I’m keeping the channel open between us, so they know I value their knowledge and expertise. Sometimes, that knowledge is actually useful. �� For example, once we were reading an article about horror movies , and students were trying to recall the part of the brain that handles fear. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t recall it. Some of the anatomy students had just studied the brain, and they were able to chime in and explain. That’s a classroom success story to me—because the pressure wasn’t all on me to know the answer, and students had the chance to shine by sharing their expertise.

When “I Don’t Know” Is a Wake-Up Call

Every now and then, a student will ask a question I really should know the answer to. One moment that sticks with me happened this semester while introducing The Canterbury Tales to my seniors. I mentioned in my slideshow that Chaucer didn’t finish all the tales he intended to write. Immediately, a student raised their hand and asked, “Why not? How many did he finish?” My heart sank.

I hadn’t taught this unit in a few years due to scheduling, and I assumed I was familiar enough with the material to dive right in. But I had taken for granted the importance of refreshing my memory. Of course, I could’ve fallen back on, “Let’s look it up,” but as this was truly my area of expertise, I felt I should’ve remembered. I admitted to my students, “I don’t know, but I’ll let you know tomorrow.” That night, I brushed up on my notes, and yes, I lost a little sleep.

This experience reminded me of something important: even veteran teachers need to revisit their material to stay sharp. Saying “I don’t know” to my students in this situation wasn’t ideal, but it was honest. It also reinforced that I can always grow in my teaching practice.

Teaching the Value of Questions (and How to Find Answers)

I love it when students ask questions. Whether they’re curious about the material or questioning me in a respectful, productive way, I welcome their inquiries. Questions are at the heart of learning, and they create opportunities for meaningful engagement. That said, there are always going to be some questions I can’t answer—end of story. And that's ok.

Sometimes, I think students ask challenging questions just to see if they can catch me off guard or make me squirm. Regardless of their intent, being transparent and saying “I don’t know” shows them I’m human - and can de-escalate when needed. It also shifts the focus from perfection to process. By modeling curiosity and the value of research, I teach students how to find the right answers the right way. This approach is far more valuable than pretending to know everything.

Ultimately, owning those “I don’t know” moments isn’t embarrassing—it’s empowering. It’s a great teaching moment and a reminder that education is about asking questions, seeking answers, and embracing the journey of learning.

In Conclusion

By embracing the power of saying “I don’t know,” I’ve been able to let go of the unrealistic expectation that I need to have all the answers. More importantly, it’s opened up new opportunities for deeper learning with my students. Whether it’s redirecting them to the right person or exploring the answer together, “I don’t know” is no longer something I fear as a teacher. It’s something I use to empower myself and my students.

Here are a few other times when saying "I don't know" can really make a difference:

“I don’t know when I’ll get around to that because I’m so swamped.”
“I don’t know if you realize just how proud of you I am.”
“I don’t know that it really matters if…”
“I don’t know why people do bad things…”
“I don’t know what might happen next because of…”

Each of these phrases reminds me that “I don’t know” doesn’t have to signal weakness or failure—it can be a sign of honesty, vulnerability, or even an invitation to connect. Sometimes, “I don’t know” opens the door to deeper understanding, whether with my students, my colleagues, or myself.

It’s liberating to let go of the pressure to always have the answers. After all, teaching isn’t just about knowing everything—it’s about inspiring curiosity, modeling humility, and showing our students that learning is a lifelong process.

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Everything You Need to Know About Teaching Shakespeare with a Translation

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:38:25 GMT

Everything You Need to Know About

Teaching Shakespeare with a Translation

The debate surrounding whether or not to teach Shakespeare continues to grow in discussions of modern curriculum. I don’t wish to engage in that debate. My stance? Teach Shakespeare. Even in that camp – those brave English teachers teaching Shakespeare – there is a different debate: that debate is whether or not to use translated supplements of the plays. In that debate, I would like to participate and make my case for Shakespeare Made Easy, or other similar publications. Some people may feel using supplemental tools like this to teach Shakespeare may be taboo or unacceptable, but I want to share why and how I use this tool successfully so you might, too, go boldly into your next Shakespeare unit! (BTW: I’m not paid to promote any line of books. I’m just sharing a classroom success story of teaching Shakespeare with a translation.)

ANALYZING THE PURPOSE OF TEACHING SHAKESPEARE

When I teach Shakespeare – or anything for that matter – I ask myself “What do I want my students to really learn?” If you answer, “I want them to learn how to read archaic language” or “I need students to be exposed to Early Modern English” then you’ll need to stick with his original manuscript. If your goals are somewhat different, then it might be time to consider a side-by-side translation. A side-by-side presents both the original and modern text. I want students to experience Shakespeare for many reasons, but the shortlist includes exposure to his craft, themes, plot, character development, skilled use of irony, creation of new words, idioms, etc. When I read Macbeth, for example, we read every word in class. Yes! Every word. Usually, I have an audio, and we even do some reading and acting. The audio I use – it’s the original Shakespeare. I’m not watering anything down. In fact, their reading even takes on another level when students can see the original and modern, and then compare and contrast those two.

ELIMINATE FEAR OF SHAKESPEARE AND BUILD CONFIDENCE INSTEAD

In everything we teach, we should plan ways to differentiate. If I can give students a tool – that I don’t even have to create – that takes away fear and builds confidence for reading, of course, I want to use that. When I taught Macbeth to my regular-track seniors last semester, they were truly engaged. In addition to the supplemental translation, I looked for every way possible to make text-self and text-world connections. My Macbeth unit is full of those goodies. After it was all over, they told me that was the first Shakespeare play they’d ever read. They’d seen movies of some of his other plays, but never had they read the entire thing. We celebrated their accomplishment with a round of applause and a pat on the back. They were genuinely proud of themselves for sticking with it, and honestly, not once did I have to beg them to read or go back into the text to look for answers. What a great feeling to experience that with them.

ENGAGING WITH SHAKESPEARE

I haven’t always had access to a No Fear Shakespeare or Shakespeare Made Easy type of supplement, so my experience here does come from having done it both ways. (Though nowadays there are many copies online.) Now that I use a side-by-side translation every time I teach Shakespeare – even with honor students – and I see so much more engagement. Before, as we would read in class when I stopped to ask questions or dig a little more deeply, students were generally clueless. They weren’t getting the plot, not to mention his puns and other subtleties. With a translation, reading, and discussions are so much more worthwhile because students aren’t confused or frustrated. I like a productive struggle, but without some help, Shakespeare is often just a struggle. They aren’t asking me “What does that mean?” or complaining they don’t understand any of the lines. They can actually answer my questions AND offer insight. Sometimes when I pause, I’ll ask the question, and I notice them going back to read the translation to see if they can figure it out. Yes – I did say “going back to read” the text. My students aren’t feeling shut down but rather empowered. That in and of itself is an amazing success story.

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ORIGINAL SHAKESPEARE LANGUAGE AND TEXT

In anything students write about the text, I require them to cite from the original. Using a side-by-side doesn’t mean throwing the original language away. It doesn’t mean replacing the original, either. It’s genuinely a tool I pick to give students more insight into what they are reading.

TO USE OR NOT TO USE A TRANSLATION WHEN TEACHING SHAKESPEARE

It’s simple for me: I’d rather read a side-by-side of Shakespeare than no Shakespeare at all. I’ve read articles where people advocate not to teach Shakespeare at all; I wonder if that’s because they think it’s too old or out-of-date. Tell that to Gatsby, Twilight, or any other modern star-crossed lovers story. Tell that to Mean Girls and Macbeth — or any other text whose main character errs on the side of ambition for that matter. If we want to teach students about archetypes and allusions, how do we do that if we aren’t teaching them the originals? Yes, other complex texts have similar skills for learning and related themes. But why eliminate the traditional ones? How about we keep the classics and pair them with something modern? Take a look at a quick video where I explain how I use Mean Girls with Macbeth.

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Books without a Movie Version Your Students will Love Anyway

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:08:44 GMT

Books without a Movie Version

Your Students will Love Anyway

With so many books being turned into money-making movie franchises, it might be hard to get your students to read something that hasn’t been recreated on the big screen. While I’m not opposed to the book-turned-movie selections (my Netflix queue is full and waiting for me to binge a few), I’ve always sought out books for my students that weren’t as popular. I’ll chalk it up to erring on the side of wanting to be different. Either way, the five books I’ve taught below haven’t hit the box office yet, and the fact that there are titles for fiction and nonfiction on the list that leave my students begging to keep reading makes my nerdy English teacher-heart happy. So, here are five book suggestions for your middle and high school students — without movies — that they will want to read anyway!

1. COLUMBINE BY DAVE CULLEN

This is nonfiction book suggestion reads like fiction. It was ten years in development and research by journalist Dave Cullen. In it, he dispels the myths that surrounded the tragedy with facts, evidence, and quotes – all while maintaining a safe distance from giving Eric and Dylan the credit and accolades, they craved. Its detailed characterization draws my students in from page one, and its complex structure challenges them while keeping students engaged from beginning to end. My unit guide for a high school English class is available in my store.

2. BLEACHERS BY JOHN GRISHAM

John Grisham, in my opinion, is an author with timeless appeal. He’s in that space between modern and on-the-way to classic. Bleachers uses the complex structure of flashback to tell the story of how a couple of stuck-in-the-past high school football stars have to embrace forgiveness in order to move on and realize that if you make high school your life, life after high school is a hard place to navigate. The complete unit guide for this book suggestion is available in my store now.

3. MERGERS BY STEVEN LAYNE

This science fiction flick would be perfect for 7th-9th graders who are obsessed with everything dystopian. Inspired by a visit to a school one day where he saw a couple of kids picking on another kid because of skin color, Layne explores the idea of what it would be like if all races were erased. I don’t think this text could be any timelier given current events, and a fellow teacher of mine is paring it this year with the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. A complete unit guide for this book suggestion for middle and high school students is on my to-do list, and the author provides a short free one on his website. You could pair that with my literature analysis task cards and have some very interesting book clubs! And check out how I use task cards in this post.

4. T HE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE BY MONA GOLABEK

I was hooked on this true memoir the moment I found it, covered in dust, on the bottom shelf of the supply closet – and so were my students. Perfect for grades 7th-9th, The Children of Willesden Lane is the true story of Lisa Jura, a young girl who escapes Nazi persecution on the eve of World War II. Mona Golabek, in an authentic voice, tells the story of her mother’s real-life struggles through this time in history, and your students will immediately identify with the protagonist. Music and relationships weave together this beautiful plot. A complete unit guide is on my to-do list as well, and the author provides some music clips and teaching tips on the book’s website . I love to pair it with my no-prep, modern Making Literature Come Alive Creative Activities Pack for some fun work with this text, too!

5. PEELED BY JOAN BAUER

I used this novel with my high school yearbook class once our book was finished. It’s perfect for piquing their interest in mystery, and it ties perfectly in with our journalism class. A reporter for her high school newspaper, Hildy Biddle is just waiting for a chance to prove herself as a real journalist. Not content just covering school issues, Hildy’s drawn to the town’s big story–the haunted old Ludlow house. It’s a fun, quick tale that you won’t have to beg your students to read. I’ll be putting together some of the materials I used for it soon!

… And a couple of other excellent picks that my students love with movies that are so bad, they might as well be in the category of those without movies because there’s no way they’d be worth giving class time for them are Macbeth and Lord of the Flies . I have complete, modern unit plans for both of these in my TPT store, though!

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How to Avoid Catching Senioritis from Your Students

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:50:12 GMT

How to Avoid Catching

Senioritis from Your Students

It’s that time of year when things are starting to wind down. It’s after state testing, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I teach juniors and seniors and that senioritis starts to creep in about March for the seniors who know their days in public education are just about over. Well, what if those feelings of apathy, tiredness, discontent, and general aggravation aren’t just coming from the students? What if you – the teacher –are starting to feel the summer slide, too? You know the symptoms all too well from seeing it in your students, so if you have that same diagnosis this time of year, here is how to avoid catching senioritis from your students and end the year strong.

1. CLEAN

There’s no better way to avoid getting a bug than to do a deep clean. I don’t know about your classroom, but mine gets so dirty throughout the year with kids coming and going. I’m not talking about piles of papers here or general disorganization; I mean dirt and dust bunnies galore. My board is smeared and finger-printed, and the desks are grimy despite cleaning them down as often as I can. This time of year, I break out the 409 and paper towels and give them all a good scrub – mine included. I’ll even borrow a mop and scrub around the baseboards. I always feel much more refreshed — and healthy — after I’ve given my room a good wipe down.

2. ORGANIZE

Piles of papers. Folders stacked here and there. Graded — and not graded — work heaping up. Books waiting to be checked back in. This pretty much describes the scene in my classroom by May. A messy room and/or desk does nothing for my motivation to be at school, and it even makes me want to just throw it all away, which wouldn’t be a good idea since I would have to start all over again in the fall. I have a decent system for organizing and filing, but it just seems to get away from me this time of year while I’m working on closing out yearbook, finalizing grades, and planning graduation. Having a system in place is key, though, because when I do have a second to clean up, it usually doesn’t take too long. I think the major roadblock to getting organized and maintaining that organization is an over-complicated process. An over-the-top organizational approach eventually gets overwhelming, and in the fast-paced life of a classroom teacher, things need to be simple. When I think of classroom organization, my main concern is not cute caddies and containers for my pencils, tape, etc. (I do have a classroom design/style/theme that I love, though. You can see that post here ). Rather, I think of my day-to-day routine, and what it takes for me to plan, teach, grade, and manage my classroom without chaos. I’ve tried many different methods for organizing, and after a while, I think I’ve got it down to what works for me. Even though I teach multiple grades – three out of three preps every semester – I still use the same system for everything. Here’s how I take my desk from chaos to clean in five easy tips that have truly simplified my life over the years.

Have a place for students to turn in work. I’ve seen (and tried) different folders for each class or each student even. I’ve seen accordion files or hanging files for students to turn their work in. I’ve tried having a different place for late or make up work. I can never keep up all of that sorting, and eventually, I just give up. What I’ve come to find is that the more places you store the “Grade Me” work, the more opportunity for it to get misplaced. And that method takes up a lot of real estate in the classroom, too. I’ve been using one basket as a place for students to turn in work for about three years now, and it has been the ONLY thing to stick – and work. Whether it’s make-up work, late work, or daily work, it goes in the “Grade Me” basket. Whether it’s first period, second period, or fourth period, it goes in that one basket. Now, if I’m collecting work from one period, once everyone has turned in his/her paper, I’ll go ahead and paperclip all those together. If I have the answer key handy, I’ll even attach that to the pile as well. Then when I’m ready to grade, it’s all right there in that one place. Yes, make up work or work from other classes gets mixed in from time to time, but that’s ok with me. I know and kids know if their work makes it to the basket, I will eventually see it and grade it. It’s also simple for the kids, and we all know why that’s important. If they can’t figure it out, you can forget it.

Have a place to store graded work until you can get it handed back. You probably already have a space like this in your classroom, but again for me, it must be simple and not take up much space. I just use a magazine bucket, but a hanging file folder box would work well, too. All my classes do have a separate folder in that box, and when it gets full, I know it’s time to hand work back. Just be aware that students needing to do make up work, might go pilfering through that box for answers on work you’ve already scored.

Have a place for teaching materials that you are using on a weekly and daily basis. Again, this is something that I’ve struggled with for years and years, and I just now have a system that works. It also works for having materials handy for makeup work. It goes like this: one box, one hanging folder per class. The end. I think you might be noticing a trend. I like to keep everything in one place. This crate sits on the corner of my desk, and when I make my morning or afternoon copies, I drop them in the correct folders when I walk into the room. If I have multiple lessons going for one class – which I usually do in an honors class – there are smaller folders inside the hanging folders. And, I usually have a folder for the master copies (which came out of my binders and are in sheet protectors) and then another folder for the student copies. I actually have one crate for each prep, and the past few years, I have had three preps, so that’s three crates.

Have a place for master copies of teaching materials. I mentioned master copies in sheet protectors above. By master copies of my teaching materials, I mean one blank copy of any worksheets, etc. the unit plan overview, daily lesson plans, and the answer keys. These go in a sheet protector in a 3-ring binder by class: junior honors, senior dual enrollment, yearbook, etc. Any extra copies or ideas I find during the unit that I might use later go in a manila folder to be filed. As a side note, these sheet protector packs can get pretty hefty, so I use extra capacity sheet protectors that I get from Amazon. Those binders sit on the shelf behind my desk. When I’m ready to start a new unit, I pull out the sheet protector pack and move it to the daily materials box.

Have a place for teaching materials that need to be filed. Since I do have three preps out of three preps each year, this is probably the pile that gets the largest more quickly than any other pile. My “FILE Me’ box is big enough to fit file folders and several stacks of papers. Then, when I’ve finished a lesson and have extra copies or student work samples to file later – during my down time �� – it’s all in one place ready to go in its long-term home in the filing cabinet. If I can, I’ll go ahead and pop it in the filing cabinet as soon as I can. But if it has to sit for a minute, at least it’s already in a folder.

3. TRY SOMETHING NEW AND/OR STUDENT CENTERED

Now that you’ve completed those lessons that are tried and true to get your students ready for state testing, etc. try something you’ve been curious about all year. This is a super simple trick to avoid catching senioritis from your students, or it may even prevent them from getting it! It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, which leads to boredom, behavior problems, and bad moods. I’ve wanted to try Kahoot – since last May – but I couldn’t fit it in during the year. Plus, I was just really uncertain of how smoothly it would go. Last week, I was not in the mood to do anything – specifically review for EOCs, so I decided it was time to shake things up. We still needed to review grammar before the state testing, so I decided to load some of my real world grammar fails images into Kahoot and just give it a try. Because I already had those made up, it was just a matter of loading those pics and adding the choices. It took me less than 30 minutes to prep it, and it was very easy to use in class. I put my students in groups and let them use one device per group to select their answers. The program basically walks you through the steps. You can also search public Kahoots for free and play with no prep at all! The kids loved it! I was in a much better mood after doing a little something different from the status quo!

Another thing that gets me down this time of year being busy from bell-to-bell. At this point in the year, usually, there isn’t any new material to cover, but having nothing for kids to do – or giving them busy work day after day gets old. They eventually catch on and that leads to more problems. A student-centered short research project where students pick their own topic, manage their own product, and then present to the class is just what the doctor ordered. Check out my free Antiques Show and Tell Research Project or my catalog of other short research projects as well.

4. HAVE A PARTY

Kids beg for a party this time of year. I’m not against parties, but I do want them to be on purpose. I’ve shared about my Great Gatsby party before. Click here to see more on that idea. Last week, my seniors finished Fahrenheit 451 , and we had a final party where all the food was red, orange, or yellow. These are the times memories are made, and, of course, some sweet treats are surely the perfect antidote for senioritis. Look at how creative my students were in preparing their “hot” dishes!

5. PLAN AHEAD

What feels better than planning ahead and taking some of the pressure off those first few days of school in the fall? Where I teach, we don’t normally know our schedule or students until a couple of weeks before school starts, but I still always try to take time to reflect on what I did this year. If I have time, I’ll even ask the students to reflect and evaluate the class, so I have authentic feedback as I’m looking at next year. Take a look at ALL my planners – printable and Google-drive planners here !

Here’s to a strong end to the year and a great summer! Share your best end-of-year secrets for how-to avoid catching senioritis from your students below!

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Formula for Classroom Success Series Post #4: How to Make Struggle Productive

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:30:50 GMT

Formula for Classroom Success Series

Post #4 How to Make Struggle Productive

I’m back today with the next post in my classroom success series. Today’s topic is the struggle- and we all know the struggle is real. However, many times the struggle does not always result in a deeper understanding of the essential learning standard or an “ah-ha” moment. Sometimes, the struggle results in frustration, lack of confidence, lack of willingness to stay engaged, behavior problems, or worse, complete shut down for the rest of the day. I’m a believer – cue THE MONKEES here – in the struggle because I know how valuable it can be. But there are a few behind-the-scenes tips and tricks that you need to know in order to have a successful classroom experience. Here’s what I’ve found to work for me over the years – aka How to Make Struggle Productive.

1. Have a reason for the struggle

I find that most frustration that students experience bubbles up when they do not see or understand the goal or purpose up front. I like to set up my lessons with an essential question, or I provide a brief outline of the lesson at the beginning, so students know what they are trying to accomplish. Only rarely do I give students something brand new and turn them loose. I’ve tried that, and it’s never been successful. ( You can see a previous post in this series on the I do, We do, You do strategy. ) Another way to ensure students know there is light at the end of the tunnel is to provide them with a detailed rubric up front. The feeling of accomplishment once students have persevered is immensely gratifying, but I also think providing something for positive reinforcement at the end builds motivation to keep trying. My rubrics usually consist of line items with a certain number of points for each item. Within that framework, I can allow partial credit for the different requirements. Pictured below is the one I use for short research projects, and it allows me to give three different grades on the project. Separating the rubrics out by categories also allows me to offer revision opportunities in one area at a time or instead of another. For example, my essay rubrics are similar to these, but the grammar is broken out. That’s so students can revise the content, but not the grammar. Because, as you may know, most times students just go in to edit – not revise – the paper hoping for a few more points for correcting a spelling or comma mistake here and there. If that’s not my goal, this type of rubric sets my grading up in a way that helps students see the different parts and that all the parts are significant and separate.

2. Teach growth mindset &create community where mistakes are seen as pathways to discovery not failure

I like the following graphic to explain the difference between fixed mindset and growth mindset. Students need to know that a classroom is a place where learning is a process. So, how to do that? Working with honors students, particularly, I’ve seen that they want to have a perfect score right out of the gate – even on new material. Or, they don’t want to approach new material because it may not result in that 100 in the grade book. One way to try to instill the idea that learning is a process and to learn from criticism is to offer a revision policy. My revision policy is not a “Here, redo this for a better grade; take this same test again; let me go over the answers so you can write them down and turn them in” type policy. It’s a “nitty-gritty; you have to work for it” type policy. I’ve done this several ways in my high school English classroom. Sometimes I’ve allowed students to revise one essay from the year – content only. Other times I’ve noticed that an entire class needs work in a certain area, so we workshop that and then they revise. The fixed mindset usually rares its ugly head when students are forced to revise, but if scaffolding and a clear purpose, they begin to embrace the challenge and see its benefits.

3. Scaffold with checkpoints

Some students come into class ready for a challenge and know how to pace themselves along the way. Other students, for various reasons, try to swallow the elephant all at once. Honestly, I tend to be that person who gets anxiety looking at a big project because I try to tackle it all at once. To help students to learn how to take it one step at a time chunk sections of the task, provide mini-deadlines, or offer checkpoints. I usually start the year scaffolding larger tasks for students until it becomes more ingrained, and they learn to do it on their own. My yearbook class comes to mind specifically when I think about giving them time and space – well, really my yearbook class comes to mind with all of these. But making 192-page book in six months from scratch can be very overwhelming and frightening. We take it step by step, a page a time until they figure it out.

4. Give them time, space, and choices

To allow students the full experience of the productive struggle, sometimes teachers have to hold back. We don’t want to see
students fail, so we feel the need to swoop in and “help” before letting them try on their own. In my classroom, I tell students that I love “awkward silence.” It’s kind of a funny way to let them know that I am going to wait on them to answer without bailing them out, but it takes the awkwardness away because I dispelled it up front. In yearbook class, for example, it would be very easy to do quite a bit of hand-holding or rescuing because the outcome is so high stakes and time is extremely limited. But I hold back as much as I can when I know it’s something they really can accomplish on their own: writing a caption or headline, uploading photos, or creating a photo presentation. It’s just a matter of knowing your students’ knowledge set and where you know they can go. The amount of space or time that is logistically built into the schedule for completing the task is another component. If we want students to work through the process and do a great job, they need time to plan, think, practice, create, proof, and finalize. Sometimes that could take days! I also like to offer students choices when we are going into a project or task they will be working through on their own. Choices can come in the form of a menu board with different project options; three different stories from which to choose when constructing a literary analysis; or simply allowing students to choose their own research topics. There’s something psychological about making a choice, and it’s a strategy I’ve found that really works to get buy-in. The menu board pictured below is from my Columbine unit (coming Summer 2016) and allows students to choose their own project, topic, and grade. Most of the time, I use this type of assignment as the culminating task.

5. Know when it’s not productive and shut it down

There are a few times when students just aren’t going to be able to get there alone, and that can be for a couple of reasons. Once I assigned a cause and effect writing prompt, and my juniors worked the entire period, and even the best student only had a couple of paragraphs done. Others had not been able to grasp the concept well enough to write on the actual topic. The rest just really didn’t have anything. At the end, they were frustrated and really confused about what I had wanted. I stepped back and realized that prompt was faulty. I didn’t need to give them more time the next day to experience the struggle. I apologized, we brainstormed a better prompt together, and their new essays turned out much better the second time around. Other it may be that the students just need a little more direction, guidance, or time. I want the struggle to be real, but only when it’s really worth it. I liked this video from the Teaching Channel by Carol Jago about productive struggle. Keep calm and risk productive struggle for amazingly successfully classroom results! Get the cute poster below in my Back to School Survival Kit for any subject 7-12 !

How will this help my students be better writers?

Writing is a process, and part of that process is learning the pieces and parts and seeing how we grow and change. Facing challenges and celebrating triumphs gives students the confidence they need to keep writing. I also think seeing everything in one place gives them a sense of accomplishment because it’s something they created. It’s certainly only one piece of the puzzle, but it’s the piece that holds it all together. The writer’s portfolio becomes the literal toolbox for students with everything they need to pick up and get started building their essays.

What do I need to get started?

Plan to provide or require your students to have a simple one-subject spiral notebook. It’s as simple as that! No fancy binders, sheet protectors, etc. Just a simple $.50 notebook. You’ll also need some large paper clips and ribbon to make bookmarks. Students mark the page of where I need to flip to grade their current writing piece, and it saves so much time and eliminates the page flipping! Of course, scissors and stick glue will be required as well!

What goes in the writer’s notebook?

Everything. Again, very simple! Everything related to writing. I do like to have my students arrange the notebook by the units we do, which are by the modes. Typically, the first unit is the narrative mode.

Why not just have it all in the regular binder they use for the class?

While writing isn’t a separate part of the class, I think the writer’s notebook does need to be, so when students need to begin writing, their space isn’t cluttered. Disorganization can be a stumbling block for writers, and we want to create an environment as free from distractions as possible. Virginia Woolf said to be a successful writer, she needed “a room of her own.” This writer’s portfolio is a space set aside for students to be adventurous, to make mistakes, to try new things, to have successes, to brainstorm, and to create. It is a “room of [their] own” to be successful student writers.

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Formula for Classroom Series Post #3: Interactive & Real-World Strategies

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 20:12:58 GMT

Formula for Classroom Series Post #3: Interactive & Real-World Strategies

I’m continuing the series today on Classroom Success Strategies. Today’s post is a two-in-one tip for interactive and real-world teaching strategies. At the bottom of the post, feel free to link up with your own favorite strategies in the comments section. Link products, ideas, etc.!

In the fast-paced world of today’s teen, I am always looking for new and different ways to appeal to my students. I don’t always expect everything to be fun all the time, but I know that I’ll accomplish more if my students are engaged. If you are on the cusp of branching out into the interactive world of teaching strategies, or even if you are well-versed, perhaps my take below will spark you to get interactive this week!

1) An interactive lesson doesn’t have to be silly

I think a lot of times, especially high school teachers, think that interactive lessons are akin to playing games and are silly. Granted, I’ve seen some that are. To me, an interactive lesson can be anything from using task cards with individual students or in a group setting to making human MLA citations ! If you wanted to bring in a little silly with the serious, play a funny song or have students race the clock! It really depends on your style and, of course, what your goals are for the class.

2) An interactive lesson doesn’t have to take a long time in class.

I like to chunk my classes into segments – usually about 15-20 minutes each. This is usually an excellent structure for my daily grammar bell ringer routine , lesson intro, interactive/group work, and individual task. Sometimes my “real-world” connection is simply a relatable video as a set activity or a funny grammar mistake from my growing collection of pictures . Other times, my real-world connections are more project-oriented, take a while longer, and give students time to work in groups, process through problem-solving strategies, and employ critical thinking skills. If you wanted to experiment with longer projects, start small. One really successful project I’ve done is my Earth Day Info Text and Real-World Project , which is perfect for April. In this Earth Day themed lesson, students compare and contrast the presentation of a similar theme or topic across genres (different types of writing) to explain how each genre shapes the author’s presentation of the theme. Next, they use their problem-solving skills to raise awareness of the need to be good stewards of the earth. Students love getting “their hands dirty” with this real-world project and presentation, and you will love that they are critically thinking about the world around them while demonstrating their understanding of key CCSS. Perhaps, you will give it a try!

3) An interactive lesson doesn’t have to be hands-on or project-oriented.

In order for a lesson to be interactive, it doesn’t have to be a full-blown project or even something where students move around. An effective and purposeful whole-group discussion or guided small-group discussion can take the attention off the teacher and make it more student-centered and interactive. I also think when a student is 100% engaged in his/her learning, that’s pretty interactive, too. I like to give case studies and short research projects where students are responsible for extracting the information about the assigned topic on their own, and then they give a presentation. If you wanted to be more adventurous and try something interactive while keeping students focused, my students enjoy readers’ theater or role playing. I love keeping a box of costume props handy when we are reading some favorites like The Crucible , Macbeth , Beowulf , or Trifles . It doesn’t take but a few minutes, and it’s great for those out-going students.

4) An interactive lesson doesn’t have to be labor-intensive for the teacher.

The idea behind an interactive or real-world lesson is that students are going to be doing most of the work and hopefully, they will be more engaged – which takes the pressure off of the teacher. One quick way I review before a test involves a small ball that we toss around the room. In fact, I call it Ball Toss Review – creative, right? Each student must answer a question about the topic, and then he/she gets to toss the ball to whomever he/she chooses. I don’t have to prepare anything, but the students are on their toes thinking and responding the entire time. Technology is another excellent way to get students more involved, and it may or may not involve a little prep work. Especially when technology is involved, most times students will dive right in. I love my newest Google-Drive eWorksheets for poetry, which are a super-cool tool for bridging the gap between today’s teens and poetry!

5) An interactive lesson doesn’t have to cost you anything

Sometimes it may seem daunting to buy game pieces, cut and laminate game cards, or prepare online worksheets or discussion boards for students. If your time and resources are limited (of course they are), there are plenty interactive ideas that are completely free. If you are in the middle of a writing unit, have students complete a 4-square peer review. Students fold a piece of notebook paper into four squares and review each other’s paper for the thesis statement, grammar/spelling, organization, and language. With April being poetry month, another fun and free hands-on idea is to have students write Characterization Poems for the piece of literature you are currently studying. Just beg and borrow to get a few magazines, and you’ll be set. If you have a bit more time, a smart device, and time to print and cut a glass set of Plickers, you will love the results. Even Plickers are mostly free, and would be excellent way to jazz up your traditional exit tickets.

I don’t think every single lesson, every single day needs to be interactive. Sometimes, teachers come down with the “activity-itis” syndrome. I’ve been guilty of it myself. See more of my thoughts about that here .

The most important thing to keep in mind for a successful lesson is that it just needs to be on purpose. More on that topic in another post in this series. Stay tuned!

If you are looking for more interactive ideas right now, I wrote an entire blog post here a while back that describes several ways to engage secondary students in the classroom.

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Formula for Classroom Success Series Post #2: Modeling

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:39:54 GMT

Formula for Classroom

Success Series Post #2: Modeling

Today we are continuing on in the Classroom Success Formula Series. I am excited to be sharing today one of my favorite teaching strategies – Modeling. It isn’t new, but perhaps I can share a few new ideas that you might can use. How many of us would rather watch a YouTube video of how to make chicken dumplings rather than reading the written directions? I know I certainly would. There are at least seven major learning styles, and while not everyone would prefer to see a video, the point is, working through a process to learn something is often much easier than just diving in head-first with no guidance. After all, how does that saying go? –Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.

1. Modeling is not the same as lecturing.

I’ve heard educational trainers say that lecturing is the worst way to teach, and you should never do it. I’ve also heard that a carefully crafted lecture is sometimes needed. I’m torn on the concept of lecturing. Personally, as a learner myself I struggle being attentive during lectures – unless they are very quick, show me what I need, and then I get to try it myself. I personally lean against an “old-fashioned” PowerPoint no matter how cute it is; I just think they are dry. However, I note that my classroom is fully of diverse learners, and to be as effective as possible, I must provide many different learning strategies and opportunities. I do believe, though, that a teacher’s job is not to impart knowledge but rather to insight discovery. ‘nough said.

2. “I do/we do/ya’ll do/you do” gradual release model of teaching.

In this model of teaching the student is active the entire time, where in a lecture, the student is largely copying notes or just watching the teacher talk for an entire period or a large part of the period. This isn’t a new strategy by any means, and I love it. It is pretty much what my classroom looks like every day. If you are new to this strategy, it goes something like this:

– “I do”: The teacher explains and demonstrates the skill while the students follow along, trying on their own or processing. Here sometimes I do use a PPT, anchor chart, Activ Flipchart, white board, video, or guided notes. I just depends on what skill I’m teaching.

– “We do”: In the “we do” stage, the teacher is again modeling, but the teacher engages the class. For example, if I am teaching paragraph writing, I will have already written one for the students in the “I do” phase. In this phase, I am asking for student volunteers to give me sentence starters, active verbs, or transitions. Faster learners often step up in this phase, and I think that’s a good way to let them lead.

– “Ya’ll do”: Common statistics in education are that you retain 10% of what you hear, 20% of what you read, 50% of what you do, 75% of what you discuss and 90% of what you teach. Here students are working on an activity with a partner or very small group. I like to give them something hands-on here or with movement , so they are talking about it and explaining it to each other. This is an excellent place to use task cards . Also, students who are too shy to speak out in class will be more likely to ask a friend or peer in a small group. The teacher monitors during this time taking notes for formative assessment.

– “You do”: Finally, this is the time where students must show they understand the skill on their own. How to pace this strategy for best results? Every period is different, and so is the depth of every skill we teach, but I have 90-minute blocks. So, I set up each step for about 15 minutes. What I love most about this strategy, is that anybody teaching anything can use this strategy successfully and reach every student in the class. Every teaching pack that I have available in my TpT store is designed this way. I had the privilege of meeting Sarah Wessling at a conference I presented at last fall, and she was just as inspiring and down-to-earth as I had hoped. See a video on the Teaching Channel of her explaining this process.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/improving-teacher-practice#video-sidebar_tab_video-guide-tab

3. Build confidence and eliminate frustration.

I, personally, feel really uncomfortable cooking. I’m not horrible at it where I burn everything; I just don’t have that special touch. So the thought of trying to cook something new causes me anxiety. If I’ve seen someone do it, I feel a little better about trying it on my own. I think the same is true for students.

4. Modeling works for new concepts and even review.

When I begin to teach writing, I use the RACE paragraph . RACE is an acronym for the formula I want students to use in my classroom when we write. I’ve seen variations of this formula, but I’ve tweaked this one specifically to help students formulate short, entire constructed responses and branch out to larger pieces of writing. In my mind, it is a simple formula – to my students, it’s foreign. I once just wrote the formula on the board, gave a prompt, and said, “Go.” The students tried, but what they produced was not on point. Then I was frustrated, and so were they. Now, I just go ahead and stick to my trusty modeling technique to ensure all students are comfortable before we proceed. I understand sometimes letting them take off flying on their own can work, but mostly I think they just leave the nest and fall to the ground.

5. Modeling also ties in with classroom management/routines .

I described my grouping snafu in the last post in this series . Again, though, it’s critical to model what we expect of students, even if we think it’s something simple. It prevents time being wasted, and we know how precious class time is.

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A Formula for Successful Writing Instructions Series: #2 the Old-Fashioned Writer's Portfolio

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:21:37 GMT

A Formula for Successful Writing

Instructions Series #2 the

Old-Fashioned Writer's Portfolio

We’ve arrived at stop two ( See Post #1 here and Post #3 here ) of my formula for successful writing instruction, and that is the writer’s portfolio. It’s important for this post to come second in the series because it requires some prep work and proactive planning. To have the writer’s portfolios as a staple and routine in your classroom, you’ll want to have them ready and set up the correct way from the start. It can be done midstream, but it will be easier and more effective to get going with it up front. In this blog post, I’m going to explain the portfolios with a Q/A style format.

What are the benefits of having these portfolios?

Tracking and feedback are two huge pieces of a successful writing program – and devoting space and time to these two elements will set you and your students apart! Administration loves to see that you are tracking your students, and it’s not always easy to do that in a streamlined and simple way. With the writer’s portfolio, students do their own tracking based on their scores and feedback that you give right in the notebook. Their charts and work samples are all in one place. Plus, parents can see their children’s growth at a glance, too. When my students set up their portfolio, right after the table of contents is the “Chart Your Writing Scores” sheet. Then, as we add paragraphs and essays, they keep track of their scores. Every time we have a writing assignment, students take time to reflect after scores have been returned. We always chart the scores, and sometimes I even have them insert a self-evaluation form behind the essay for further reflection on the feedback. Usually, I do that for major writing assignments. Either way, it really helps to have all of this material in one place, and it really isn’t that big of a time investment for you or your students. Once they are set up, they just really take care of themselves. Additionally, organizing the teenager is a beast in and of itself… outside from trying to have a successful writing program. That said, given the way I teach writing, with vocabulary, notes, sample essays , etc., it is a nightmare if students can’t find all of that material and have it all at their fingertips at a moment’s notice. Nothing we do in my class is ever put away to be forgotten. One thing always builds on another. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep it in all one place.

How will this help my students be better writers?

What do I need to get started?

What goes in the writer’s notebook?

Why not just have it all in the regular binder they use for the class?

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A Formula for Teaching Writing with Success, Series: #1 Planning

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:07:17 GMT

A Formula for Teaching Writing

with Success, Series #1 Planning

A couple of years ago I did a series on my formula for classroom success. It entailed topics like classroom management, planning, organization, etc. You can check all those topics out here . In those years since, I have been developing a resource and a series that defines my formula for a different topic: writing instruction. I get asked all the time for help and tips for how to teach writing, and I never really knew how to answer my colleagues who asked me to pinpoint what I did. I’ve seen success with my students’ writing in my classroom over time, and I’ve had successful writing scores on standards tests. But what really makes good writing instruction? Where do you even begin? How do inspire students to write… to buy in? So in the past year or so I’ve made a conscious effort to consider my practices and process when it came to writing. What I realized was pretty astounding and simple at the same time. I hope that by the end of this series (over the next several weeks) that you’ll feel empowered and recharged and ready to tackle all those writing standards.

I’m starting the series with the planning piece because I think that’s like the atom in science – it’s the basic fundamental piece that must be studied and addressed and understood before moving on. I like to plan, so for me that seems natural and naturally exciting. Others might like to dive in head first and just take off and see where it goes. However, the problem with that approach can lead to derailment along the way in the form of running out of time for critical pieces of the process. No plan is ever perfect; we do certainly have to be fluid in the process, but ultimately knowing where you are headed before you take off is the best course of action. If you are ready to join me on the journey to successful writing instruction, here are the five pieces I start with each semester when I start to make my curriculum map.

So, what did I realize? I won’t keep you waiting until the end of the post for the answer to this one. I can’t, really. It’s just too big of a deal. So, here goes: Writing isn’t just something I throw in every now and then or when I’m mandated by the central office. It isn’t an afterthought when I’ve finished my “big unit” or have a few extra days somehow. It IS the big unit: three of them in fact. They are also known as narrative, argumentative, and explanatory. With that said, planning begins with the end in mind. Shape your units to the modes with essential questions and outcomes upfront. For me that pans out to a narrative unit, followed by an argumentative unit, and ending with an explanatory unit. (I do a research project in correlation with my book club study. Read more about that here. ) Here’s a snapshot of the pacing guide I use with my juniors. A similar (and editable) one is included in my writing curriculum .

I choose narrative first because it is the least restrictive mode, and it allows students to step into writing without all the formality. They can just use their imaginations and let it flow. I can cover some writing fundamentals that carry over into the other units like writing strong hooks, word choice, and even touching lightly on textual evidence without them feeling so stressed about getting the content right. What I mean by that is with narrative writing, they aren’t trying to analyze a scientific text or refute counterclaims with a certain precision of logic. Those restricting elements are off the table, and for the most part, students can just write. It builds confidence. Also, as part of the pacing guide, I develop a list of words that are critical for each unit. I pass those on to students in the form of a vocabulary list. We go over that list before we even start each unit, and I quiz them over the list, too. The vocabulary of a mode is critical. We can’t have conversations about writing — narratives, hooks, counterclaims, thesis statements, or citations — if those words are foreign to students. Teaching the writing vocabulary up front builds students’ writing schema and confidence.

The next piece that I look at when planning my writing units (aka year) is the anchor texts that will ground each unit. Since no English curriculum is complete without literature and nonfiction — and all curriculum guidelines and standards include them — they play a critical role. I don’t want anything to feel random, and I don’t really have time for that either because I’m on a block schedule and every minute counts. I select one anchor text per unit. These texts are from my department’s reading guides, textbook, standards, etc. I pick grade-appropriate selections that will make the most impact – ones we can dig into for days and even pair smaller texts with when time allows. Speaking specifically about my junior class, for the narrative unit, in the past I’ve read a variety of short stories: “ All Summer in a Day ,” “ To Build a Fire ,” “ The Pedestrian ,” “ A Rose for Emily ,” and so on. It just depends on what group I have in front of me, how much time, etc. For my argumentative unit, I pick a strong argumentative professional model, usually from the canon. We most often read Patrick Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention .” The explanatory mode is so much wider open than any other mode. I usually pick a text that needs to be covered for its literary value and is dense enough to develop many different topics and material for evidence in essays. Usually, for my juniors, that’s The Crucible . Since I’m covering these texts as anchor texts and I don’t usually cover any other texts in class outside of these units (and my book club text), they must be solid. Quality over quantity will win out every time in my book, so I must choose carefully. Plus, since I am using these texts not only for writing anchors and models, but also to cover many reading standards as well, these texts are the units inside the units, and I have to plan to give myself space in the calendar to cover them adequately enough. That can be 1-2 weeks, more or less. To close the study of the professional anchor text in the given mode, we do an activity that I call the “Author’s Toolbox.” Here we change hats. We take off our “reader’s hat” and put on our “writer’s hat” to see what tools from the professional writer’s toolbox we can “steal” for our own.

A planner’s job is never over it seems, but you can’t stop the clock until you’ve also thought about what prompts your students will write. Since the units are anchored with texts, you may choose to have students write in response to those texts. I think that works very well in some cases. I have students change the ending or resolve the suspense or write from a different point of view in the narrative unit in response to the short story. In the explanatory mode, we explore the causes and effects of mass hysteria in The Crucible . Prompts must be chosen in a way that requires students to respond to a text, not just repeat what was covered in class. Often, with my argumentative mode, I’ll pull in two or three new short texts entirely and have students perform their skills cold. Plus, I like to mix up my prompts in different semesters to prevent plagiarism and keep up-to-date. It just depends on your scenario, time allotment, and objectives. I did have a curriculum adviser once remind me in planning a prompt that there is a difference in prompts designed for writing assignments and prompts designed for writing assessments. Long, dense prompts might work for the culminating writing assignment of your unit but not for a writing assessment. We want to set students up to perform their skills successfully and purposefully, not set them up to fail.

Possibly the easiest to plan for is the time students will need to compose the assignment. I do give my students time in class and out of class to write. I like to see them writing, so I can observe their process. This also helps if you wonder if they are really doing it themselves or not. As part of this time, too, I schedule intermittent deadlines. For my argumentative unit, for example, the first deadline comes soon after the task has been released: the thesis statement check. I also schedule time for conferencing with students while others are composing. This usually takes one or two days, and I’ve recently started doing this via Google Classroom. Students submit to me, and I can leave suggestions to them in real time. In my timeline, students are usually writing a 500-750 word essay over the span of three-four class periods and one weekend. It’s also important to note here, too, that you do need to go ahead and think about charting off time for students to reflect and revise after the scores have been returned.

Last, and maybe the most overlooked is planning some time for you — not to get a manicure, at least not yet �� — but to grade all those essays coming in. IF you can grade during school hours, that’s what I would suggest. I know it’s not always possible, but if you can plan to show a movie that coincides with your unit or one that might replace a novel you won’t get to cover, that’s an easy way to get yourself some time at work to grade essays. There are so many ways to use movies meaningfully in class , so students are learning and standards are being covered . Another idea might be to pull in a project for students to complete or maybe an informational hot topics text lesson . You may can’t give yourself but a day or two, but something will help with that load.

It may seem odd that I would start a series on successful writing instruction with a post that had really almost nothing to do with the actual instruction. However, that’s coming, but this content really is the secret. Good writing instruction is based on a good plan. Not the kind of plan that says, “Oh, I’m planning on doing it”… but never really getting around to it! But rather the kind of plan that gets you going in the “write” direction for the year. Every piece of what I do builds on the other and connects and flows. Without a plan, that wouldn’t be possible. I read a quote once that said, “Don’t tell people your plans. Show them your results.” I disagree with that. I think you should show people — your students — your plan, and that is what will get the results.

Here’s a quick video of my explanation of planning and pacing an English unit here.

Follow to Post #2 and Post #3 here !

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A Formula for Successful Writing Instructions Series: #3 The Race Paragraph

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:41:08 GMT

A Formula for Successful Writing

Instructions Series: #3 The Race Paragraph

The next stop on my formula for successful writing instruction is the easy-peasy RACE formula. (You can see Part 1 here and Part 2 here .) Stay with me now… you’ve probably seen the RACE strategy done before. You may even have something similar to it. Whatever works for you and your students is awesome. I, however, go about it a tad differently because when I am teaching basic paragraph writing, I do like to give something for students to use from start to finish. Plus, this method reminds them of the key ingredients AND can easily be branched into a full essay because it functions like a “mini” essay in and of itself. I like to start small so students can sink their teeth into something before they tackle a larger assignment. I even review and use the RACE strategy near the beginning of the semester with my junior honors English students. There’s nothing wrong with review, and I feel more comfortable knowing they have a solid foundation for structure. Here’s what my RACE writing strategy looks like:

Step 1: Teach the process

I almost never assume students know what I want and require. It just works out so much better when I tell AND show them my expectations. The same is true with writing – especially with writing. To teach the RACE formula, I go full out with a PPT slide show and cute sketch notes . It helps define the terms and gives students something to use as reference when they are on their own.

Step 2: Look at samples and annotate and discuss

This step goes back to making sure students understand expectations. Giving them an exemplar helps them know where they are going. I also show them errant and emerging paragraphs, too, so they can see the entire spectrum. Take a look at my video tutorial for my Red-Light Green-Light strategy for analyzing model student papers.

Step 3: Practice together and annotate and discuss

Choose a prompt from a text you’ve been reading in class, or if you are using my teaching pack , use the provided stimulus and prompt. Sometimes I’ll have students attempt the first sentence alone. Other times I’ll start it by modeling my thinking aloud. I’m always modeling aloud, come to think of it. (Or maybe that’s just talking to myself LOL)! Sometimes, I write the parts of the formula on slips of paper and randomly give them out to students, so they have to chime in when it’s their turn. It just depends on where my students are and where I need to meet them. Then we just spiral and go with the flow from there. It really does take a lot of patience and time to write a paragraph together in class. It also takes a lot of willingness to step back on my part and let students work through it. Many times, I am putting them on the spot, so they have to feel comfortable speaking out and making mistakes. I give them time and space to think. Then as we are working back through what we’ve written, I model revision, and we come to conclusions together about what worked and what didn’t. I take it one step further right then, too, and we brainstorm how to fix those mistakes and just improve what we’ve done.

Step 4: Write individually

With a fresh prompt and stimuli, it is important for students to take everything they’ve learned now and compose their own paragraph. Again, I give them time and space to think and write. It is important to note here that this method is designed to work for constructed responses with a text. Students see that modeled all the way through the lesson, so be sure to choose material for them that aligns with that process.

Step 5: Review and reflect and revise

Lastly, I always give my students feedback on what they’ve written. My RACE teaching pack comes with a rubric, but you could even just do a check list. Sometimes I do that, too. Again, it just depends on what my students need. Occasionally, we will take one of our previous RACE paragraphs and revise it. That is a critical part of the learning process as well.

If you are looking for an entire writing curriculum , take a look at my full writing curriculum that is flexible and complete enough for any ELA classroom!

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Everything You Need to Know About Article of the Week

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:05:27 GMT

Everything You Need to Know

About Article of the Week

I started using an article of the week program several years ago, and I’ve always seen amazing results. I love how flexible the system is and how much the students gain from reading and responding to a weekly article. My system — which I put my personal spin on — is planned and structured unlike others I’ve seen, but I like knowing that this method provides my students with the best possible experience. In this blog post, I’m hoping to share everything you need to know about using an article of the week in your classroom.

WHAT IS ARTICLE OF THE WEEK?

An article of the week program is a system that presents students with one article per week that they unpack daily. The article may be controversial or just informational. The article may relate to current events, or it might cover more timeless topics. Each day students will revisit the same article with a different purpose for reading and responding: one day they use context clues with vocabulary words, while another day they answer text-based questions using textual evidence and citations. Giving students a new and meaningful purpose/task each day keeps the article fresh and sparks deeper critical thinking.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING AN ARTICLE OF THE WEEK PROGRAM?

Reading regularly each day improves reading comprehension. Studies show that reading as little as 5 minutes a day improves reading levels, and the more time spent reading, the higher the percentile students are likely to rank in on standardized tests. Reading speed is also greatly affected by regular reading habits.

It strengthens writing and using textual evidence. Because I have my students use the RACE (or ACE) format when they are writing responses to their text-based questions, this system improves their writing drastically. Check out this post on using the RACE format for responding to constructed response questions. Grab my FREE sampler for teaching the RACE format. I also grade for grammar, usage, and mechanics as I am an English teacher and that fits my standards.

It makes “real-world” connections. Students are often lost, uniformed, or partially informed when it comes to what’s going on in the world. These weekly articles, chosen carefully, help provide them with critical information.

It is flexible for different types of classrooms and learners. I’ve used this program with inclusion classes all the way to dual enrollment college classes. I’ve used it with face-to-face classrooms and remote learning classrooms as well. Everything I’ve provided in my program (linked at the bottom) is editable and easy to modify.

Reading builds background and content knowledge as well as vocabulary. Students who read regularly can learn 4,000 to 12,000 words per year. I believe that words live inside of texts, so rather than giving my students lists of words to memorize, I prefer having them encounter words organically and uncover their meanings in context. In my experience, students are able to retain and actually use the new words using this method.

It prepares for standardized testing. The more exposure students have to reading grade-level material, unpacking vocabulary with context clues, and formulating written responses the better their test-taking skills become.

WHAT SHOULD YOU AVOID WHEN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE OF THE WEEK?

Articles that are too easy or hard for your grade level. While we need articles that have grade-level and above vocabulary and structure, we don’t want articles that students can’t even grasp. One size does not fit all.

Articles that are too long or too short. I like to use articles that print no longer than on the front and back of a sheet.

Articles with no relevance to students’ lives at all. You aren’t going to have 100% interest every week for every article, but if no one is ever interested, it might be that the selection of articles needs to be refreshed. Of course, we know students are going to complain, so while we do need to take most of that with a grain of salt, we do have to be open to the validity of those concerns.

Articles with no variety of topics/content. Selecting from all modes — argumentative, expository, and narrative — will ensure that you are providing a variety of reading material. Too many political articles or too many articles warning against the dangers of social media can get old quickly.

Not having clearly defined expectations for each article. I like giving students something new to do each day – a new task with purpose: summarizing, vocabulary, text-based responses, and real-world connections. I don’t like turning them loose 100% to figure things out. While some students are successful with that approach, most wouldn’t take it seriously enough, and that would defeat the purpose. If you like the idea of giving students “wiggle room,” a good time to do that is the first day when students first receive the article. Initially, they read highlight and annotate, and then throughout the week they can build on that work.

Not having a clear way to measure student response. The fastest way to ruin an article of the week program is for students to realize it’s busy work. If they are being told to “just go read this article and make notes” with no truly measurable standards, is that really accomplishing the list of benefits from above?

Articles that are too biased or always having biased articles. Teach students to read for and recognize bias, so that when you do encounter an article with author bias, they know how to process that. It’s not something to avoid entirely, but it is something that needs to be taught.

TIPS FOR HOW-TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM

Step 1: Establish the format. What will students be doing each day? For my article of the week program daily layout, see below.

Monday: Read, annotate, and summarize
Tuesday: Vocabulary
Wednesday: Text-specific questions
Thursday: Figurative language scavenger hunt
Friday: Text-to-Self or Text-to-World connections and reflection

Step 2: Decide if students will be doing the work in class or out of class. This depends on your class schedule and students’ learning levels. If you have an honors class, consider assigning it as out-of-class work, and then carve out time on Friday to share and discuss. If your students will need more guidance, dedicate the last 15-20 minutes of class to work on their article of the week daily task. It’s super flexible.

Step 3: Select articles with the criteria above and prepare text-specific questions.

Step 4: Design a rubric and/or grading expectations. A rubric can be as in depth or as simple as you would like. It is just super important to have a clear and consistent grading plan in place and let students know that up front. I do grade for content and format on the questions and accuracy on the vocabulary. Everything else is a bit subjective. Since there are only five questions per article, it helps with the grading load. It does take some time, but it is also a really good time to give feedback on writing. As an English teacher, I tend to mark grammar and style here, as well, because that helps me meet more standards.

Step 5: Model with students the first couple of weeks. How should they read and annotate? How should they use context clues? What are their written responses supposed to look like? Check out this post on using the RACE format for responding to constructed response questions. Grab my FREE sampler for teaching the RACE format.

Step 6: Carve out time at the end of the week to discuss and share. Reading and writing are only enhanced by discussion!

GET GOING WITH SOME NO-PREP SOLUTIONS

My article of the week program is a bit different than others you might have seen. Following the suggestions above, each article is selected for reading and interest level and comes with specific text-based questions. It is also provided in printable and digital for Google format. The articles are on hot topics, often current events, but also with timeless content, so you aren’t sharing “dated news” with students. The best “news”? My program is entirely no prep for you!

Other news outlet and websites such as Newsela, The New York Times, Time for Kids, DOGO News, The Smithsonian Tween Tribune, and News for Kids also have articles you can grab. Some, but not all, of these have questions or prompts you could assign with no prep.

I discuss my Article of the Week Program a bit more here, too, on Instagram .

You know your students best; if you are looking to give an article of the week program a try, select one that works best for everyone — you included!

Making the choice to include more reading is always a good choice!

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Classroom Management Tips Series: Creating Your Own Classroom Success Story

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:47:46 GMT

Classroom Management Tips | Series: Creating Your Own Classroom Success Story

Running a successful classroom requires more than just being solid in your content; there are so many aspects that go into it. In this series “Creating Your Own Classroom Success Story,” I’m sharing one piece of the formula at a time. The first piece to having a classroom success story is classroom management, and this might just be the hardest part of all. You could be super solid in your content knowledge and have the best lesson plan in the world but struggle with classroom management, and teaching will always be an uphill battle. The truth is – we all struggle with classroom management at first and all the time, too! What teachers really want the most is for their students to learn, and having a solid plan in place for classroom management can make that goal a reality. Over the years I’ve learned — from making many mistakes — some classroom management tips that work, and I’m excited to share them in this post to kick off my “Creating Your Own Classroom Success Story Series.”

1. ENGAGE THE STUDENTS FROM BELL TO BELL.

Students need to be engaged – not just busy – on something in my classroom from bell to bell. I believe in the power of a great bell ringer. By “great bell ringer” I mean something that matters. Actually, that “something that matters” philosophy applies to everything I do. I’ve seen cutesy bell ringers, and those are fine and better than kids running amuck at the beginning of the period, but I choose grammar for my bell ringers because I know my kids are preparing for ACT, SAT, and/or writing test and they need/want to improve their grammar scores. There’s my engagement, my buy-in, and my motivation. An article of the week , poem of the week, or even a paragraph of the week program work really well for a bell ringer routine, too. You can also read more about how and why I use bell ringers at this post.

2. Forgive and Forget

This one is so hard, but really, we are adults. Kids are kids. They are going to mess up – and so are we, for that matter. But what good does it do to hold a grudge against a teenager? It does no good, actually. It creates tension and a ripple effect. Once kids see you mistreating one student, either they will do the same, or they all turn on you. It’s not pretty. I think this one ties in with the idea of consistent and fair discipline and consequences that make sense. I’ve never been a big fan of letting the admin fight my small battles for me. For example, why does a child need to go to the office to be punished for not having a pencil? Just give him a pencil and move on. Why create a barrier against his learning? Sometimes that pencil is a symptom of something larger, and it’s worth checking out. Knowing the back story that’s causing the issue can be huge in figuring out a solution to change the bad behavior. Sometimes it’s a kid testing to see how far he/she can go. I once had a student not bring a pencil to my class every day for a week straight. He was doing it on purpose. On the 5th day, we had “the talk.” This kid was used to being screamed at and sent to the office. I think that’s what he wanted. Instead, I told him that I needed him to bring his own pencil so he could show me he respected me and my class, and that was the end of it. No screaming, no nagging, no office visits. He brought a pencil every day for the rest of the year.

3. LISTEN To Students

It was only recently that I began to learn the value of allowing students to reflect on the lesson and their own learning. I often spend time debriefing with students at the end of the lesson to have them tell me what worked and what didn’t work. The 3-2-1 strategy is really simple, and students can do it alone, with a partner, or as a whole class. I change it up, but we do three things that worked in the lesson, two things that could be changed, and one thing that didn’t work at all. Other times I’m less formal, and I’ll just ask students to tell me what they need me to teach. For example, when seniors are doing a writing unit, instead of preplanning a list of writing workshops I think they need, I ask them to make me a list.

Another way listening works in my favor doesn’t really have anything to do with class. Sometimes kids just want to talk about the game, their job, how lousy lunch is, or their prom dress. Does this happen during class? Of course not. So, I have to be available every now and then before class, after class, and sometimes during lunch. It’s the relationship concept – a healthy relationship – that opens up the respect lines. Kids who respect you – and see you as a real person – will perform so much better than kids who feel isolated, insecure, unseen, and undervalued.

4. Have a Plan & Procedure, but be Flexible

This point starts with a time when my lesson plan was unsuccessful. I wanted my students to get into groups with their desks to complete an assignment. It was the beginning of the year, and this was the first we had ever done an activity like this in my classroom. I just said, “Go” and expected them to get into groups beautifully and work productively. It was a disaster. Kids were sitting every which way and half didn’t even have a clue what was going on. I was frustrated and mad at them, and they were so confused. The next day I apologized as soon as class started. I don’t know what came over me that day to just turn them loose like that, but it has NEVER happened since. Now they don’t move until I give the signal, so I can make sure everyone is clear on the directions and that I’ve given enough examples. I even show them how to form neat groups. We know who will be in the group first and foremost. I even have numbers hanging from my ceiling so that students know exactly where to sit when we number off for groups. (You can also do this with table numbers and photo stands.) It may seem like micromanaging, but in a short class period with 25+ kids, it’s the only way to get things done so that we have plenty of time for the task at hand.

There is a difference, too, between rigid and organized. Kids feel uncomfortable with rigid — “my way or the highway” attitude — but they appreciate organization. Routines are healthy and productive. Chaos is not.

“Routines are healthy and productive. Chaos is not.”

– Julie Faulkner

Another key piece to a planned-out management strategy is sharing that plan with students. In addition to writing an overview of each day on the board at the beginning of the week, I use a daily agenda Google slide, too. I set it up at the end of the day for the next day, so I am on track with what I need to plan or prepare. The great part is that it helps keep me AND my students on track.

Here me talk about it more here and see more information here in this Instagram post.

5. Discipline Consistently

Once I was asked to watch a group of kindergarten boys in the Awanas class at church. It just so happened that these were the rowdiest boys in the bunch, and they were all in the same class. The coordinator asked me if I would watch them and told me, “You can handle them. I heard you were mean.” She said it as a joke and without any malice, but I guess it did indicate that someone had noticed my kids are usually well-behaved, listening, and on task. The assumption someone made, of course, is that I must be mean if my students behave. So, it got me thinking. I’ve seen teachers scream, get rough with kids physically, and call kids names. That’s mean. I’m not mean. None of that is my approach. I set up a plan, and execute it. I deal with minor stuff when necessary, and I don’t nitpick. I am consistent. I take what we are doing seriously, and I expect students to have that same attitude as well. I find what motivates kids and capitalize on it. Kids have to see that doing what’s right is right because it gets things done, and it allows me to be proud and brag about them. More importantly, they learn to be proud of themselves. Is this how it plays out every day? No, of course not, but discipline doesn’t have to be mean for it to work – consistency (with firm kindness) and a plan for changing the bad behavior does.

Read on in part 2 in the Formula for Classroom Success Series.

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An Open Letter to the Spouse of a School Teacher

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:19:28 GMT

An Open Letter to the

Spouse of a School Teacher

I’ve been a public-school teacher since 2004, and over the years I’ve come to realize that my job takes up a large part of my life, my heart, and my mind. I’m married to a wonderful man, but the fact that sometimes my job creeps into the space where our married life should be placed #1 hasn’t always been easy. My husband isn’t a teacher, nor did he grow up in a teaching household. It was a
completely different world for him, but thankfully we’ve grown into this place where the demands of my job don't cause a strain or resentment. The spouse of a schoolteacher doesn’t always know what he/she is signing up for, and truthfully, neither does the teacher. I hope the following open letter to the spouse of a schoolteacher provides a point of view that will enlighten and encourage in a space that isn’t very easy to explain, understand, or navigate.

♥ The job never ends. It’s partly because we are excited about the work we are doing, and it’s partly because there is just so much work to do. We are going to bring it home with us. We are going to talk about it. If we aren’t talking about it, we are working on it. If we aren’t working on it, we are thinking about it. If we aren’t working on it, we are talking about it. You get the picture. All you have to do is listen, nod, and help us carve out space and time to get it all done. Gently, help us set some boundaries.

♥ The exhaustion isn’t just physical; it’s mental and emotional exhaustion, too. We pour into students all day long – we encourage, we beg, we prod, we discipline, and we give, give, and give some more. They are on a roller coaster, and if we aren’t careful, we ride it with them. At the end of the day, we need someone to fill our buckets back up because our students aren’t going to – neither are their parents nor will the administration. It doesn’t take much – trust me. Just a little will do. We love knowing that YOU are the one in our corner.

♥ Like any job, there are going to be good days and bad days. One day we will want to quit, and the next day we will feel like we are on top of the world. That’s because our hearts are in it, and sometimes it’s just because of the moon phase! We don’t want you to feel like you have to walk on eggshells. Remember that roller coaster? It’s easy to get caught up in the drama or to become a part of it by telling us not to worry or to let it go, but it’s probably best if you don’t buy a ticket. The next day will be a new day. You are our steady rock who we need to pray for us and help us refocus.

♥ We do need someone to help us set up our room. This may seem like a odd item to touch on. However, in my high school classroom every summer, the cleaning crew dismantles the room to deep clean. It is impossible for one person to put it all back. One person wouldn’t be expected to move herself into a dorm room or small apartment. So, yes, that means I’m comparing a classroom to a small apartment. We do have that much stuff. We spend 8+ hours a day in that room. We would like it to be nice and functional. It means the most that you are willing to be part of the space where we will be changing the world.

♥ The world of teaching, shaping other little peoples’ minds, and the pressure, judgement, and expectations we are faced with each day from the government, administration, parents, students, other teachers, and our own need to do it all to the best of our ability, puts us in a fragile state of mind and leaves our emotions frazzled. It’s hard to manage all that and then come home and keep up the smiling, kind words, and thoughtful gestures. We love you the most, so it’s not that we don’t want to – we just usually don’t have much of anything left. We are running on about 15%. This is the hardest one of all. We know it’s hard for you; it’s hard for us, too.

I always think of the movie Freedom Writers (based on a true story), when the main character’s husband leaves her because she is “consumed with her students” and doesn’t have time for him. This scene makes me sad – like the kind of sad that hurts. She is blindsided by the fact that he is feeling that way. She never intended for him to be left out; in fact, she spent hours telling him about it. But wait, that was the problem, wasn’t it? If you’ve watched the movie, you know the ending. If not, just know that she does an incredible work with her students, but she loses her marriage. We aren’t choosing our students over our spouse. I’m completely aware it seems that way, but we truly aren’t. At the end of the day, we need and want you more than anything or anyone – to be our rock, supporter, listener, around-the-house helper, and biggest fan. We know you are ours.

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Fun Halloween Activities for Middle or High School Students

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:05:53 GMT

Fun Halloween Activities for

Middle or High School Students

If bringing a little Halloween spirit into your middle or high school lesson plans is on your to-do list, then you’ve come to the right place! Halloween is one of my favorite times of year – probably because it’s my birthday – but I do just love it! Doesn’t that give me some pretty solid expertise for Halloween?!? �� I’ve gotten together with some of my fellow teacher-authors (from all subjects) to bring you a carefully curated list of creepy creations for Halloween. Check out the ideas below to see some “spooktacular” Halloween lessons for middle or high school students that they are sure to love!

1. SPOOKY STORIES

What’s better than a spine-chilling, spooky story on Halloween?!?! Stories are an English teacher’s playground, and I love using stories and poems this time of year. One of my absolute favorite stories is the “Cemetery Path.” This short story is just the right amount of mystery to keep kids engaged while covering some key skills. Below is a student sample of a poetry-writing exercise to transform the short story into a poem that we did following an analysis of the short story. Talk about higher-order thinking skills! This NO PREP lesson is available in a bundle here.

If poetry is more your speed, check out “The Listeners.” I was first introduced to this poem in college. My methods teacher had a knack for finding the most interesting poetry to share with us. I’ve used it every year that I’ve had my own classroom, and kids are always intrigued and willing to create answers for all the unanswered questions the poem poses. After we read the poem, we do a creative, text-based, real-life, real estate project. Do you have the guts to sell a haunted house? This NO PREP lesson is available in a bundle here.

Those who teach Arthur Miller’s magnum opus or who have time for a full “Halloween-themed” unit could teach The Crucible. While there are no “real witches” in The Crucible , I always try and start this unit around October in the fall semester with my juniors. I’m always pleasantly surprised at how much my students enjoy this text and the modern, real-life connections I bring in as we work through the unit. My full literature guide is available here. Plus, it’s newly updated for digital use.

2. ESCAPE ROOMS

This time of year, going to a haunted house is on the top of everyone’s to-do list. What if you could bring that excitement in your classroom? You can– with educational escape rooms! So many now are ready-to-go for any subject. In fact, they are one of my favorite resources to create, and my students LOVE them. I’ve never seen them work so hard — while having so much fun — with a class assignment. I’m seeing them pop up for all subjects, and I think that is awesome: more classrooms joining in the on the fun. This escape game for Spanish class by Manzana para la maestra is so creative. Students read a one-page passage about Day of the Dead and complete five related puzzles.

One of my best-selling Halloween resources is my “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” escape game . In this escape game with a flexible three-ways-to-play format, students must work to solve the clues in order to save Sleepy Hollow before the Headless Horseman strikes again! Students will review plot, irony, symbolism, read a paired info text, and figurative language.

Lately, I’ve created mini escape games for classrooms new to escape games or those with shorter class periods or just for teachers who want something shorter! They are quick 3-clue games that last about 30 minutes. For all of my fellow yearbook advisers out there, my newest mini escape game is a team-building exercise for yearbook staffs called The Mystery of the Abandoned House . Staffs are tested on their knowledge of photography, headline writing, and editing, all while solving the mystery of the abandoned house. How much fun is that!?!

All of my escape games are thematic, where all the clues link together for a dramatic ending, and they require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the skill in order to solve the clues. Check them all out here.

3. GETTING MESSY/HANDS ON/CRAFTS/GAMES

Goo, slime, smoke, steam, marshmallows, pumpkin guts, and more are all kinds of wonderful and lovely for Halloween lessons for middle or high school students, so why not use all that jazz to make learning fun on a day when traditional instruction is going to be a struggle?!?

I am honestly fascinated with STEM projects right now. It’s probably because I don’t teach a subject that really lends itself to experiments. Maybe in another life, I’ll be a science teacher. I think for now, I’ll just stick to science experiment object lessons with the kids at church, and just ooh and aah over the ones for classrooms from a safe distance — like this Halloween STEM Challenge from Kerry Tracy . Kerry even includes ideas for differentiation. Erin Hanson has also created a spooky science STEM activity where students actively engage in phenomena-based inquiry, observation, model creation, and analysis of phase changes and sublimation. Bone bridges? Ghosts in the graveyard? Dry ice? Count me in!

Another way to get hands-on at Halloween is with pumpkin carving, and maybe that’s not a super safe choice for your classroom, but this two-step equations build a jack-o-lantern for Algebra from 4 the Love of Math seems like an adorable alternative for math classes!

If you are a crafty friend, pull out the colored pencils and glue for these activities: -In this Day of the Dead Halloween activity students make their own papel picado with a stencil. -Who know Newton’s Law could be so much fun for Halloween? But it sure looks like it would be in this set of coloring pages where students create a Halloween inspired image using the thirty-four questions provided while reviewing force, motion, inertia, gravity, friction, mass, acceleration, velocity, action, reaction, and Newton’s first, second and third laws of motion. -Math students can also join in the coloring fun with Math by the Mountain’s Literal Equations Pumpkin Carving Coloring Activity . -My high school English students always love when we take a few minutes to color by parts of speech or figurative language … and I secretly love it, too.

So, since we know I’m not going to be doing any dry ice experiments for Halloween, one activity I love do – with any holiday, really – is my Real-World Grammar Fails task cards . I put JPEG images (they come in the pack ready to go) into Kahoot to turn it into a game. My kids (juniors and seniors) are crazy for Kahoot, and we always get so tickled by all the mistakes.

4. Listen and Watch

Halloween is most definitely a holiday that appeals to all the senses, and that makes it the perfect time to practice some listening and viewing skills. Podcasts are super popular right now, and one of my favorites for this time of year is Lore. Pick your favorite episode and pair it with one of my Podcasts Worksheets for any podcast for the perfect no-prep lesson. I also like this quick lesson from Reading and Writing Haven ; it’s a chilling lesson plan specifically for a podcast about body farms! She recommends it for high school students. I also have the perfect podcast pages to pair with any Halloween podcast. They are FREE ! Plus, get my full list of suggestions here .

Most of the time it’s easy for English or literature teachers to bring in a movie for students to watch based on a certain theme, text, or topic, but it seems other subjects – math especially – have to work a little harder. That’s why I was so excited to see this movie viewing guide for math from Hayley Cain at Activity After Math . This is a 20-question movie guide to accompany the movie Monsters, Inc. and the questions actually follow the movie and use scenes to build the word problems for students to answer. Skills-based: Check. Cool: Check.

Can we get through a Halloween post without mentioning Frankenstein? I mean, before zombies were cool, there was Frankenstein. It’s a classic for senior English and/or students in a British Lit class. The 2004 Lions Gate version with Don Sutherland is the best screen adaptation I’ve seen. It makes an excellent supplement or substitute for novel reading. My NO PREP Movie Viewing Pack is available here .

5. Frightful Facts

As an English teacher, I love exploring back stories, and it’s my experience that students actually enjoy reading nonfiction, too. I love what Solutions for Math did for this Algebra activity . On Halloween, with this calculator exercise, your high school math students will be engaged in solving problems while learning fun facts about the holiday. It’s kinda like a math mystery!

My Halloween-themed grammar worksheets are similar to this in that students will be reading facts about Halloween while practicing certain grammar skills. They are perfect for literacy centers, substitutes, or bell ringers. Plus, as an added bonus, they have cute age-appropriate clip art that students can color when they are finished.

In Conclusion

Perhaps one – or more – of these “daring” Halloween lessons for middle or high school students will be just the trick to get your students engaged in a positive and purposeful way this Halloween. I’m excited, as always, to be a small part of your classroom success story!

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Trunk or Treat Ideas for Church with Bible Themes

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:24:21 GMT

Trunk or Treat Ideas for

Church with Bible Themes

Hosting or participating in trunk or treat for church during October for Halloween is pretty much my favorite event all year! My husband and I enjoy coming up with new sets each year that kids enjoy and that convey a bible theme, scripture, and message. We do usually go a little over the top, but it is SO worth it when we see all the trunk-or-treaters come by our trunk! Here are quite a few years’ worth of trunk-or-treat ideas for church with bible themes that will surely be a blast!

FARMHOUSE FIXER UPPER WITH CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

That’s right! All the way from Texas and Magnolia Farms we brought the message “home” to kids that God does have the guts to take on a fixer upper! Even when we are a mess, He can make us new creatures. That little house — my husband is actually quite the handyman, so he built it for me. The before and after picture is also real!

TACKY TOURISTS TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

Aren’t we all just passing through? We didn’t have a full trunk this year because we hosted the event and were “travelers” to make sure things were running smoothly. So, these tacky tourist costumes were the perfect idea. We are jet-setters, but our true bucket-list destination? Well, that one’s easy! I ♥ heaven.

HOW THE WEST WAS LOST IS WON TRUNK OR TREAT THE ME

Cowboys and Indians are a classic, but we wanted a positive twist. We wanted to bring the “rivals” together. These cowboys and Indians worked and traveled together in the Wild West to help people find their way to Heaven. Do you know how to get to heaven?

Grab the FREE printables for our How the Lost is Won Trunk or Treat Decor set here.

ON THE LORD’S TEAM TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

For this trunk or treat for church with a biblical theme we rounded up all the sports equipment and uniforms we could find. Everyone who accepts Jesus is a winner and HE is the real MVP! We also added a fun golfing game for trick-or-treaters to play as they came by. Whose team are you on?

Get a ready-to-go decor pack here!

JESUS IS OUR SUPER HERO TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

The real hero is Jesus! Sin is our kryptonite, but in this trunk or treat bible-themed set up we can marvel at His wondrous works and power of Jesus to cast our sins away.

Get a ready-to-go decor pack here.

LAYING UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN/PIRATES TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

Ahoy, Matey! Yes, Jack Sparrow did make an appearance for this trunk or treat for church — in fact, meet Jack and Jewels! This one was Derek’s favorite themes so far; in fact, it was his idea! I even had pirate music playing in the background. So many pirate tricks, but we gave away some treats, too!

Get a ready-to-print decor pack here!

OLD-TIME RELIGION TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

This trunk or treat for church with a biblical theme brought together my love of Halloween and my love of antiques. We dressed as a couple from the 1920s, and I played bluegrass music. We used vintage songbooks, suitcases, and other treasures to decorate the trunk.

JESUS IS DEER TO MY HEART TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

For all the hunters and outdoorsy men in your life, this trunk or treat theme is perfect! They will be right in their element, but you can’t “hide” your love for Jesus! We dressed in camouflage and brought Derek’s deer mounts, leaves, etc. The visit from “Lady Bug” girl was just a bonus!

Get the decor pack for Jesus is Deer to My Heart here!

WIZARD OF OZ TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

There’s No Place Like Home – I don’t have a picture of this set up, but we dressed as Dorothy and the Scarecrow from Oz. I had a piece of yellow fabric that I wrote out the Roman’s Road scriptures on to signify the “yellow brick road to home.” And I used a science fair board painted blue with cotton glued on it at the end for the sky.

PIZZERIA – JESUS DOESN’T JUST HAVE A “PIZZA” MY HEART; HE HAS THE WHOLE PIE TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

This pack is perfect for the foodies out there! Stage your trunk like a brick pizza oven or like a quaint pizza shop “store front” from Chicago or New York. Add a cute bistro table and chairs, pizza boxes, and a chef or server costume, and you’ll be set! Slices of pizza instead of candy??? Why not?? Grab the pack here.

WELCOME TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH TRUNK OR TREAT THEME

This theme reminds us that each pumpkin was created uniquely and just like the hand-picked pumpkins you’ll set out at your trunk or treat display, we are chosen and loved by God. Build a barn backdrop for your trunk, add hay bales, a picket fence, drive in a real or toy tractor, and pile on the pumpkins for this trunk or treat set up. Farmer costumes with all the plaid and flannel will complete this theme! Grab the decor pack here.

So many churches are doing these types of Hallow Him or Fall Festival outreaches now, and I really think it’s awesome to have the opportunity to reach people in this way. That’s why it has always been so important to me and my husband that we use this event to create a trunk with a biblical theme that we can use to start a conversation about Christ. That is our commandment: to go out and tell. Let’s do that: Let’s tell the world this October – with a little piece of candy and some costumes – how much Jesus loves them!

Plus… don’t forget the candy! It’s the part that goes home with everyone, so we always attach a message to our candy. Each trunk or treat decor pack comes with matching candy labels.

Download a set of the candy labels here for free.

Also, do you teach Sunday School or Kids’ Church? Take a look at my Halloween Bible Lessons for Prek-2nd and my original children’s book for Thanksgiving !

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Friday Flashback September 2015 Edition: TN Commissioner of Education Classroom Visit; Grand Ole Opry; TCTE Conference Presentation

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:43:59 GMT

Friday Flashback September 2015 Edition TN Commissioner of Education Classroom Visit; Grand Ole Opry; TCTE Conference Presentation

For this month’s Friday Flashback, I am a few days behind. I guess that goes to show how SUPER busy this month has been. It has, though, been a very exciting one! Here’s a quick peek at my September.

1. TCTE Presentation

I absolutely love attending the TN Council of Teachers of English conference when it is in a nearby city, and this year I was selected to present a session at the conference in Nashville, TN. I shared with the attendees several ways to use task cards at the secondary level. You can see that blog post for more ideas here . In a room of English teachers, of course, we had some great conversation. I really enjoy sharing ideas and resources at conferences and workshops with other teachers!

2. Grand Ole Opry Date Night

While my husband and I were in Nashville for the conference, we took advantage of the time away and went to the Grand Ole Opry Friday night. I’ve always wanted to attend a show there, and it was impressive! There was a stellar line up of present and past stars including Ralph Stanley, Phil Vassar, The Willis Clan, and Bobby Osborne (the original recording artist of Rocky Top). Read more about what a couple of prior country music concerts taught me about teaching here .

3. TPT Milestone

I was really excited to reach a major milestone in my TPT store this month; it’s certainly nice to know that other teachers are finding goodies in my shop that work successfully for their classrooms!

4. TN Commissioner of Education Classroom Visit

Dr. Candice McQueen, TN’s Commissioner of education, visited my classroom this month during a writing lesson. I’ll admit my kids and I were nervous, but the visit went very well. Dr. McQueen was super engaged and thoughtful in talking to my students, and they did great sharing with her about the lesson and their goals after high school. Her visit also included several more VIP visitors including our county’s director, state representatives, and other BOE supervisors. It was a full room with great energy!

5. Completed my first writing unit successfully in Junior English

We’ve worked extremely hard the months of August and September to finish our first argumentative essay in junior English. My juniors take a state writing exam in November, so it’s a priority to brush up on those writing skills right off the bat. I enjoyed using Secondary Sara’s Writing is Like Meals to give my writing workshops a theme in preparation for the prompt my students would tackle. It’s on my to-do list to develop the entire argumentative unit for my TpT store, but for now, you might be interested in my Gun Control Prompt Pack where students argue the effectiveness of one text over another. At the end of the unit, we enjoyed some desserts (inspired by Sara’s theme) since they had worked so diligently on their papers!

Typically, this post is a linky party. However, I’m going to try something a little different in the next few months. Instead of linking to my Friday flashback with another blog post, I’m planning to host some seasonal linky parties. Be on the lookout for a fun one in October!

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Friday Flashback: August 2015 Edition

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:30:13 GMT

Friday Flashback: August 2015 Edition

It’s time again for a monthly reflection! The entire month of August has been focused mainly on back to school. August seems like such a long month since we always start right at the beginning, and there are no breaks in this month. I’m already looking forward to Labor Day! Here are some of the highlights from this month, and you are welcome to link up your highlights below!

1. Back to School for my Niece

I wanted to get a little something for my niece for a small back to school gift that would be somewhat motivational but also useful. My sister sent me her supply list, and I decided to go with the pencils she was required to have. I bought the brightest one they had (she’s in 2nd grade) and fixed up a cute little tag to put on them! This month my mom, sister, and nieces took a Saturday and did our traditional back to school shopping day. While it’s always a fun day, it’s also always quite emotional. She’s growing up, and I’m so proud of her!

2. Back to School Gift Idea for My Yearbook Staff

Each year for yearbook, I start the year with motivational and teamwork activities to build unity, and I fix up a little gift for them, too, for the first day. This year our theme is “In This Moment,” and capturing moments is our primary focus. I decided on the phrase Moments Matter tagged onto a bag of M&Ms. Voila! A quick and easy gift to go with the theme and set us off on the right foot. Read more ideas for getting a yearbook class going here .

3. Making the Top 100 Resources List for High School for the First Time

Not only was this month my first time ever making the Top 100 Resources List for High School on TpT, but my Daily Grammar Program made it on the list twice this month! I am thrilled that so many teachers and students are benefiting this program that I believe in so much because I’ve seen the effects in my own classroom.

4. Published in the TN English Journal Fall 2015

I’m honored to have my blog post on my Daily Grammar Routine featured in the TN English Journal . Like I said above, it’s truly something I have seen be so powerful for improving student grammar, writing, and test scores. Here’s the link over to that post .

5. Movie Date Night

I might be getting a little ahead of myself on this one, but this weekend War Room opens in theaters, and my hubby and I are planning on going to the theater to see it. War Room is the newest movie from the creators of Facing the Giants, Fireproof and Courageous . I am always so moved by these films, so I’m excited about seeing what they’ve done with this one. I’m also excited that more mainstream theaters have begun to pick up this line of films so more audiences can be reached by the powerful messages they project. Fingers crossed we make it!

Here’s how to link up:

– Grab my button from above. (Just copy and paste it to the top of your blog post.)

– Write about some highlights from your month. It can be events, accomplishments, or a new product. It can be anything you want to share. I write in groups of 5 – for my Fast Five.

– Once you have your post done, come back to my blog and link it up via the linky below!

– If you want to link up next month, just watch for my post near the end of the month!

Don’t have a blog, but want to get in on the fun? Just comment below with something to share from your month!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Back-to-School Burnout: 5 Mistakes Teachers Make Every Year

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:04:59 GMT

Back-to-School Burnout: 5 Mistakes Teachers Make Every Year

It’s 2.5 weeks into the new school year, and I already have three to-do lists going—one of which I’ve completely lost. I’ve had a migraine, some kind of stomach bug, and I haven’t slept more than five hours in three days. Sound familiar?

Back-to-school season always starts with the best of intentions, but for many teachers, it quickly spirals into stress mode. Every. Single. Year.

Why? Because certain patterns set us up for burnout right from the start. If you’re hoping to break the cycle this year, here are 5 back-to-school mistakes that add unnecessary stress—and how to avoid them.

1. Recreating the Wheel? Say Hello to Burnout.

When I first started teaching over a decade ago, most of the time when I sat down to plan, I pretty much had to start with a tabula rasa because I had no textbook ancillaries, no Pinterest , Teachergram , or TpT . I was also in a district that I was new to, so I had no teacher friends there. Nowadays, there are so many resources and opportunities for collaboration that there is no reason to develop every single lesson for every single day from scratch. Certainly, there are new ideas that come along for a great project or assignment, and it’s nice to feel a sense of accomplishment when you’ve created something new. Plus, I get bored easily with the same lessons over and over, so I’m always trying new things. However, when your to-do list is growing by the minute, and you can’t get a single thing marked off for new things being added, using ready-to-go lessons frees you up to do the many, many other tasks that you face. There’s also something to be said for using materials, lessons, and ideas that other teachers have classroom-tested and tweaked. Recreating the wheel undoubtedly creates unnecessary work. Experience, they say, is the best teacher. And the best teacher is the one who isn’t stressed.

2. Worrying About What You Can’t Control = Instant Stress

There are so many things in education that are beyond the control of the classroom teacher. The short list includes class size, students in the class, class length, the administration, and federal mandates. We all wish for things we don’t have – the grass is always greener on the other side. Daily devotionals keep me grounded first thing in the morning, and I love First5 messages , Ten-Minute Bible Talks Podcast , and my own pastor’s All In Daily Devotional . THE VERY FIRST ONE I read from First 5 was geared specifically toward this major stressor in my life. Worry – and worrying about things I can’t change. The key quote said, “Contentment is the key to success.” If I’m always wishing I had different students, for example, then I’m not doing the ones that are right in front of me justice, and the truth is, God put those kids in my classroom for this season for a reason. Shifting your focus from the “what ifs” to the “what is” will definitely provide more success than stress.

3. Absorbing Negativity? You’ll Drown in It.

In the morning, you get coffee from the community pot, and two coworkers pull you into their conversation about last night’s basketball game loss. They can’t believe the coach’s bad call. Then, at lunch, you sit down to eat in the lounge where a couple of teachers are gossiping about the way the new teacher dresses and how another teacher is always late. At class change, a student comes up and tells you all about how she and her best friend are in a huge fight, and she needs to hang out in your room until it blows over. At the end of the day, you have a headache, and you can’t concentrate. It’s a slippery slope if you are constantly subjecting yourself to this kind of environment.

Studies show that negativity leads to a bevy of health issues, including heart problems, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Of course, you are concerned about your students and coworkers, but protecting yourself first is key to a healthy year. Having a truly helpful and healthy support system, friends and/or family, is the best way to survive a tough year or rough patch in this job. Thankfully, over the years, I’ve found a happy balance between showing concern and sponging up other people’s problems. It sounds harsh, but it’s a fine line. A genuine smile and an open ear go a long way with upset students, but their issues don’t come into my classroom, nor do they go home with me.

Their issues are ones to pray about, but I work hard to choose that instead of worrying. Even harder was the tough choice to avoid the teacher’s lounge and other areas where Negative Nelly or Downer Dave hang out. Take a break from those spaces from time to time. Fostering healthy, positive relationships is valuable, and sharing your struggles and bearing each other’s burdens is critical, but soaking up other people’s problems to the point that you internalize them is only going to weigh you down.

4. No Plan, No Peace.

I like to plan: my lessons, my meals, and even my outfits. (See them on Pinterest or Instagram .) But as much as I love a solid plan, there have been plenty of times when I’ve sat down to plan a lesson last minute, found a cute idea, and realized I didn’t leave myself enough time to get the supplies or make the extra copies. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to finish a task because of a lack of planning.

Most of the time, a lack of planning leads straight to procrastination—or worse, panic. For me, planning also helps break down that overwhelming “Where do I even start?” feeling. Instead of seeing one big, impossible pile, I remind myself I can eat the elephant one bite at a time. A good plan helps me start.

But here’s the real game-changer: building routines into your planning. When you have go-to systems in place—like a weekly lesson structure, a morning bell ringer, or even your own prep day rhythm—your brain has fewer decisions to make, and your students know what to expect. That alone cuts down on stress.

The best plan is one that’s flexible and accounts for the unexpected—because if teaching through a pandemic taught us anything, it’s that things will change. I always try to have a plan B for my lessons (because you never know when the projector bulb will blow or a fire drill will interrupt second period).

Planners gonna plan. ( Shop planners for secondary teachers here .) But here’s the truth: working without a plan or routines leads to chaos—every single time.

5. Perfectionism Is a Guaranteed Path to Overwhelm.

I’m a Type A, Enneagram #1 personality, so trying to achieve perfectionism in everything is a real problem, and it bogs me down very quickly. In our district, teachers are given a rating – a number. I’m sure that’s similar to other districts, or maybe they have other “incentives” to keep teachers on their toes. Unrealistic expectations and perfectionism can make unfulfilled goals feel even more stressful. To me, there’s nothing worse than that feeling of not doing the best. But the question comes down to “whose best?” – “Not who’s best?” Once I realized that it’s my personal best, not in comparison with anyone else, and the growth and achievement my students are making based on what I can see in my classroom, my entire paradigm on perfectionism shifted. The thing is, it’s not reasonable to be a “5” every day in everything. Today might be a “5” day at school, but not at the game, or at home, or vice versa. Also, I think realizing that there are a few things that teachers work on to the point of perfection that may not really need to be at the top of the list could help relieve some undue stress. They (the cute bulletin boards, the perfect wall hangings, grading every single thing, etc.) take up valuable time, brain space, and energy. I love all those things, but physical, mental, and emotional health are key.

Another issue that fits into this category is not taking a sick day or resting when we really need to. Grab a sub plan , and let yourself recuperate. The reality is that we are teachers -- not robots. No one wants to be a slacker, but sometimes cutting yourself some slack can eliminate the stress.

Conclusion

Back-to-school season doesn’t have to be a countdown to chaos. If you're willing to pause, reflect, and let go of a few unhelpful habits, you can create space for a smoother, saner school year. Stress will always find a way to sneak in—but it doesn’t have to run the show. Choose progress over perfection, preparation over panic, and calm over chaos. Your students need a thriving teacher—not a frazzled one.

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Back to School Supplies You Could Live Without

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:51:05 GMT

Back to School Supplies

You Could Live Without

Last year, I shopped with my niece and sister for 1st grade school supplies. My mom, sister, and I are all teachers, so we love back-to-school time. But that experience wasn’t at all what I expected it would be. My niece tends to be type A and on top of that, it was 1st grade, so she was super apprehensive. We went to THREE stores – plus my sister ordered some things from Amazon and made another stop looking for exactly everything on her list, and my niece was in tears worrying it wouldn’t be right. She’s in FIRST GRADE. She has eleven more years to go. Sigh.

According to the National Retail Federation, the kindergarten to high school back-to-school supplies industry is a $20+ billion industry in the US. The Annual Back-to-School Survey conducted by the NRF found that the average family will spend $600+ on everything needed for back-to-school. In 2015, just over half of all students attending public schools in the United States are now eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, according to a new analysis of federal data. So what does that feel like if you don’t have that certain pencil or white – not blue glue. Isn’t glue, glue? In an effort to make everyone “alike” are we actually alienating?

Community groups and churches are pitching in to help out because the problem has gotten so out of control. Last year, my mother (she’s the principal of a rural middle school in the district where I teach and live) decided to take some of her Title 1 money and provide ALL the school supplies for every student in her school. Teachers, too. A couple of other schools in our area are beginning to do the same. When people call her school and ask for the supply lists because they can’t find them on the stands at the local stores, they are incredulous when she says it’s taken care of. What a relief to know that $100+ can go to paying bills or other family needs. Not every school can do that, of course, and resources are certainly nice to have. Teachers spend a lot of their own money, too, gathering supplies for classroom activities and projects. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have some Kleenex provided or notebooks for students to write down their daily grammar corrections in. School does require supplies. The problem, I realized when shopping with my niece, was the stress of finding the certain, specific item and the almost endless list of supplies a child would “need” in 1st grade. I think a realistic budget needs to be kept in mind.

Borrowed from another blog

I’ve never required a lot of supplies in my own classroom, even when I taught in a wealthier suburban middle school, but over the years my paradigm has certainly shifted even more. I am very careful to use what I have wisely, to use pencils, to stock pile, to pick pencils up from the floor, recycle, reuse, re-purpose, and even clean lockers at the end of the year.

So – What do I want my students to have for back to school? Here’s my list: 1) Confidence, 2) peace of mind, 3) excitement, 4) energy, and 5) pencil and paper!

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Transform Your Classroom with a Rock Star Makeover

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 20:46:26 GMT

Transform Your Classroom

with a Rock Star Makeover

Classroom design is very important even at the middle and high school levels, even though most secondary classrooms don’t have a theme, and I certainly never have in my years of teaching in middle-high school classrooms an all-out classroom theme like, say, they do in elementary schools. However, I can say there is great value in having a “theme” of sorts – even in a secondary classroom. I like to be super-organized, and a theme/scheme works well for me and the students. One theme I’ve used in the past was “Rock Star,” and on the first day of school we talked about what my theme is, and we had a mini lesson on theme development.

I chose to transform my classroom with a rock star theme because 1) I love music and 2) It sets the “stage” for how we are going to be “owning it like rock stars” every day. Yeah, that may be a little cheesy, but I love cheesy, and it really does work. I love anything vintage, burlap, pink, and chalkboard, so I decided to put all those ideas together for a shabby chic, glam rock star-themed classroom. Here are some rock star classroom makeover ideas and inspiration!

CLASSROOM WINDOWS MAKEOVER, VINTAGE ROCK STAR STYLE

It might be easy to overlook a window treatment in a classroom, but it 100% gives your classroom design a homey feel. These curtains could be done in a couple of ways. I ordered ready-made inexpensive burlap valances from Amazon and hung them with spring rods. However, there are many tutorials for making no-sew curtains out of burlap. Everything is better with burlap!

CLASSROOM DOOR AND HALLWAY MAKEOVER, VINTAGE ROCK STAR GLAM

The door is, of course, the first thing students see when they come to your classroom. Like I said before, theme is very important in an English classroom, and we talk about it on day one. So, I wanted them to be aware of it immediately- hit them on the head (literally!) I bought those chalkboard pennants at Hobby Lobby and just strung them together with raffia, also from Hobby Lobby.

STUDENT SUPPLIES, STORAGE, AND INFORMATION AREAS, ROCK STAR STYLE

There needs to be a space in the classroom where students’ supplies, etc. are stored, so they aren’t misplacing things or constantly getting in your space! This little area is much more functional now with the date blocks, sharpener, and journal buckets all in one place. Plus, now it’s near the weekly playlist of assignments, which I really want them to look at often!

I’m also so proud of my little chalkboard lamp. It was my granny’s lamp, and I loved having it in my classroom. However, it was green, and the shade was dry rotted. I found that ah-mazing burlap shade at Goodwill for $3.00!!!! After a coat of primer and some chalkboard spray paint, I had a shining jewel for about $10 bucks.

BULLETIN BOARDS AND CLASSROOM WALLS, VINTAGE ROCK STAR STYLE

You need to make intentional choices with your walls and bulletin boards. Walls and bulletin boards should display information, encouragement, and celebrations. See a post on Instagram here with more tips about decorating the walls in your classroom.

Inspiration

Keeping with my Rock Star theme, I made song quotes chalkboard prints and hung them above where students store their bags. My bulletin boards are covered with black fabric (easier and more durable than paper) and a fun layered border. I also smile every time I look at my mirror with the V.I.P. sign above it! I do believe the best boards and walls are student-centered and low maintenance.

Celebrating the Rock Stars and Their Work

I nformation

We chart data throughout the year for a variety of reasons, so even that area matches the theme. Check out my “My Data Story” pack of materials on TPT.

TEACHING STATION MAKEOVER, VINTAGE ROCK STAR STYLE

I inherited my podium from a teacher friend in my first year of teaching! In its former life, it was a wallpaper stand at a paint store. How cool is that? It wasn’t, however, very fancy. I rolled on a couple layers of chalkboard paint, and now my students and I can write new quotes on it whenever we want!

My “I’m Done” box also got a makeover, also. I place my turn-it-in basket near my teaching station, so it’s handy when I’m ready to grade student work. I used one basket for everything, but you could also have them organized by sections, too. Here I wanted to add a little bit more pink to the room, so I just bought this durable basket from Michael’s. I used the rest of the chalkboard spray paint on the tray where students return handouts.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this classroom transformation – simple, budget-friendly, organized, and student-centered! Let me know what theme you use in the comments!

ROCK STAR NOT REALLY YOUR THEME? TAKE A LOOK AT MY JOURNEY THEME HERE!

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Lord of the Flies Fun & Interactive Chapter-by-Chapter Island Challenges

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 20:06:24 GMT

Lord of the Flies Fun & Interactive

Chapter-by-Chapter Island Challenges

Each time I teach a novel, I try something different. I love teaching Lord of the Flies , and this past year I decided to give island challenges a try. Let me tell you… best decision I made for teaching this novel! I taught the novel out of class and hosted book clubs each Friday. ( See more about my book clubs here. ) Fridays, then, were when we did our challenges, discussions, and quizzes. I’m so excited to be sharing these Lord of the Flies island challenges for each chapter with you. I worked really hard to select and design challenges that would connect either with the theme or conflict of the chapters, so they wouldn’t just be “random” fun things to do. I really wanted the Lord of the Flies island challenges to be both meaningful and fun. They are also a blend of mental and physical challenges, which we found to be perfect for a mixture of winners due to so many different abilities in the class. Because there are 12 chapters in Lord of the Flies , I’ll be breaking my traditional “Fast Five” format to share them all with you. Excited yet? Ready to get lost on an island adventure? Come and get your feet wet and your toes in the sand as we walk through these interactive island challenges for Lord of the Flies!

Pre-Challenge

Have your students get in groups. These will be their island factions for the rest of the reading. I let them pick, but I was teaching this novel to older students with specific friend groups, and I liked letting them work with people with whom they felt comfortable. Plus, it added to the tension in competition among groups. No group was more than 4 students. Then, they picked a name for their group, a symbol, and a motto. On the first day of the unit, before I even handed out books, we did this and they made their group “flags” or posters. I hung these “flags” on the board, and this is where I would put their stars when they won challenges. I usually had first and second place, but everyone always had to finish the challenges.

Also on this first day, we did a pre-reading challenge, which is a survivor game that comes in my Lord of the Flies Teaching Unit .

CHAPTER 1 LORD OF THE FLIES ISLAND CHALLENGE:

FREQUENTLY CONFUSED WORDS MAZE

I absolutely loved this interactive maze challenge. The boys in the novel go out searching the island in the first chapter, and the creepy vines only add to their confusion and fright in trying to find their way around, so having my own students participate in a maze makes perfect sense. I always want these Lord of the Flies island activities to be as standards-based as possible, so I decided to take the frequently confused words list from my literature guide and make it into a maze. These words are tricky and get you tripped up pretty easily, so that is the perfect concept for a maze, too! In these commonly confused words maze, students are challenged to find the answers to the worksheet by searching around the room (and in the hallway) for the hidden clues. It’s included in my Lord of the Flies complete teaching unit .

CHAPTER 2 LOTF ISLAND CHALLENGE: BUILD A 3D MAP OF THE ISLAND

For this challenge, students had to use textual evidence to build a 3D map of the island. By this chapter, the boys on the island have begun to figure their way around a little better, and Golding has given us some very specific descriptions. I set a timer and awarded first place to the group that finished their map first and corrected it. This 3D map activity is no prep, and it’s included in my Lord of the Flies complete teaching unit .

CHAPTER 3 ISLAND CHALLENGE: BUILDING A HUT STEM CHALLENGE

To coincide with the boys’ island experience, I challenged my students with a fun STEM-oriented tent-building activity. Everyone received the same supplies: a plate, a piece of construction paper cut in half, 4 toothpicks, four straws, one fruit roll-up, 6 mini pretzel sticks, a long piece of plain tape, and I used jellybeans as people. I don’t think I’d do people again. The three categories were Most Aesthetic, Most Functional, and Most Creative/Thoughtful Intent. The tents had to fit on the plate and be only one tent. I had a few other teachers come in and judge.

CHAPTER 4 ISLAND CHALLENGE: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE THROW-DOWN

I used the figurative language worksheets in my Lord of the Flies teaching pack for this challenge and had kids race against the clock and each other to get the most correct. You can’t miss Golding’s beautiful use of language, and this was a good, quick challenge.

CHAPTER 5/6 ISLAND CHALLENGE: BUILDING A PARACHUTE STEM CHALLENGE

This chapter introduces the fallen parachute soldier, so I went with another STEM challenge. For this activity, students had to use certain supplies and build a parachute that would float the longest. If I do it again, I’ll also add a prize for one that goes the farthest. Supplies: plastic bag, piece of felt, piece of aluminum foil, pieces of string, a long piece of tape, and a unicorn that had to be secured to it. We went to the bleachers to drop them off, and I can’t even tell you how much fun this was!

CHAPTER 7 ISLAND CHALLENGE: WORM DIG

By this point in the novel, things are getting messy… nasty and dirty are taking over – the island is transforming and so are the boys. For this challenge, I bought extra large cups of chocolate pudding and sour gummy worms. I ran it kind of like a minute-to-win-it came. One student per group volunteered, and without any hands, they had to remove all the worms from the “dirt.” They also had to clean up the worms, so no dumping out the bowl and winning. The group with the most – and cleanest – worms out in a minute won. My Lord of the Flies Island Challenges Pack comes with an alternate food-free option, as well.

CHAPTER 8/9 ISLAND CHALLENGE: PIN THE TAIL ON THE PIGGY

At the climax of the novel, it was only fitting for students to experience a pig hunt, of course! So, I went classic with this one, and we played pin the tail on the piggy. Each group got one tail, one minute, and one tries to get the tail as close to the marked spot as possible. I had one person per group and each person went one at a time, and their group could help, but other groups were yelling out to create chaos. Oh, and we did create hurdles for them to tackle as they crossed the room. It couldn’t be too easy, right? We did have a tie, sort of, so I had those groups go all at once for the win. Let me just say, they did battle it out.

CHAPTER 10 ISLAND CHALLENGE: QUIZ SCORES

During each book club, we would also take a quick quiz, and I used an average of the groups’ scores. Quizzes can be found in my Lord of the Flies teaching unit .

CHAPTER 11 ISLAND CHALLENGE: THEME/QUOTE SORT

This challenge is again geared toward testing the students’ understanding of the content of the novel now that we’ve almost made it through to the end. For this challenge, I chose to use my theme and quote sorting activity. They raced against the clock and each other to get the most cards matched correctly. Each group got one set of cards. They can be found in my Lord of the Flies teaching unit.

CHAPTER 12 ISLAND CHALLENGE: ESCAPE GAME

What’s an island survival novel without an “escape off the island” game? In my Lord of the Flies Island Challenges Mini Escape game , students solve three puzzles to get off the island before it’s too late! My students enjoyed it, and it was the perfect way to end the island challenges.

Prizes

For each set of three chapters, I gave prizes (extra points) to the people in that group. I used different colored stars to track the wins. Then, I did an overall winner at the end, and they got a more festive prize. I really enjoyed creating and conducting the island challenges, and my students enjoyed participating. I think the videos and pictures show that, but when one of my class-clown athletes said, “What do you have for us today? You’ve really made me be excited to come to class,” it took my breath. It was a lot of work, but if a few little games can get kids wanting to read and come to class, I’ll do it every day, all day. #worthit

Classroom Decor

Another way to jazz up your unit is to decorate your room like an island. I hang up a few palm leaves, make a coconut concoction in an oil diffuser, have Hawaiian punch to drink, and play island tunes when students come into class on the first day.

READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR CLASSROOM INTO

AN ISLAND AND CHALLENGE YOUR STUDENTS?!!?

Check out my Lord of the Flies Island Challenges Pack!!

GRAB MY COMPLETE LORD OF THE FLIES TEACHING UNIT!

THIS PACK ALSO INCLUDES MY ISLAND CHALLENGES!!

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End-Of-Year Reflection: Top 5 Classroom Success Stories of 2018

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:24:32 GMT

End-Of-Year Reflection: Top 5

Classroom Success Stories of 2018

It seems to me that 2018 has been quite the long year… but then again it does feel like I was just rounding the corner of 2018 not too long ago, and here we are already at 2019. One of the most important things we can do as teachers is reflect, and so that’s why I love this annual blog post. It’s been my new year tradition for the past several years ( 2015 , 2016 , 2017 ), and choosing only five moments is always so hard, but here goes: My top five classroom success stories of 2018! This year in review…

1. Read-o-Lution

Reading is the hallmark – the cornerstone – of any English classroom, but let’s face it: In today’s time, even reading can sometimes take a backseat to everything else we cover. And with our teens walking around with tiny TVs in their hands at all times streaming the latest Netflix Original or watching the newest Youtube sensation, there isn’t much reading going on. I started the second semester (Jan 2018) with a focus on reading and having my juniors make a reading resolution or “read-o-lution” after studying an article about the importance of reading. If you are a Common Core state, you can use the reading passage from Appendix A to discuss the importance and value of reading. If not or if you just want something ready-to-go for the new year, I have this super simple informational hot topics lesson on how Reading Is Good For Your Brain . Throughout the year, I implemented my Article of the Week program , too (another blog post to come on that this year but you can get the materials for it here now ). We also read more full-length short fiction texts in class, and my honors students read an out-of-class novel for book clubs. ( See more about my book clubs here ). I also set up a mini classroom library, and students checked out books all year long that way. I left their poster up the rest of the semester, and many students truly did make efforts to take reading more seriously and achieve their reading resolution.

2. Podcasts

I love introducing students to something new, and surprisingly Podcasts were actually kinda new to my students. They had, of course, heard of them, but they never really listened to them. Again… why would they when they could just watch something on the tube? I actually used Podcasts two ways this year. First, with my yearbook staff, we listened to a Podcast crime series when we finished our book. Up and Vanished (Season 1 carefully edited) was the perfect way to get my staff engaged. They completed a casebook to keep track of their listening and crime solving. That casebook is free in my TeachersPayTeachers store . Second, in my English class, we did some spooky Podcasts from Lore during Halloween, and students took notes on a podcast worksheet I created . ( Get those here .) Then, they wrote their own spooky stories. My students wrote some really amazing stories: We had many laughs and many spooky cold chills, too! Readers of my email newsletter Teaching Tidbits with Julie Faulkner got that activity for free back in October. Be sure to sign up for that email at the bottom of the page, so you don’t miss anymore goodies. You can also see some of my Podcast suggestions via this link over to my Facebook page at Julie’s Classroom Stories.

3. Victorian Tea Party

Another focus I had this past year was on careers. Whether students were going straight to a career or college after senior year, I still wanted them to be focused on their futures in terms of where will they work when it’s all said and done. I’ve found that this year especially, my students are so uncertain about what they want to do, and they don’t even really have any idea what’s out there. I’m going to be adding a few more career-based lessons in the new year to possibly help students get a better idea of what their options are and what might be a good fit for them. But this project was an interesting way for students to really think about who they are as a person and what they’d like to become — just like our gal pal Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. Hats are a huge symbol in this text, and I wanted students to not only understand and recognize that symbol and it’s role in the characterization, but I also wanted them to make text-to-self connections as well. I loved seeing how their hats turned out, and it was a fun way to make a class party text-based. See this activity and all the instructions here in my TpT store.

4. Sieve and the Sand Experiment

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve taught Fahrenheit 451 over the years, but this year I did something new that I’d never done before: a science experiment. No, we didn’t burn anything… though it alarms me how many people want to burn books as part of teaching this unit. (Insert “I dunno” emoji here.) This was actually an experiment that brought the text to life and helped students get hands-on with Bradbury’s choices. I hid a few “surprises” in the sand for students to find, but ultimately, my goal of them being able to use the experiment as a jumping off point for discussion during book club meeting was super successful. I was really proud of how they went back to the text to see what Bradbury said and truly analyzed Montag’s memory. Get my 451 unit here.

5. Character Stockings

About once a year I can get it together to make a huge reading display outside my classroom door. I wish I could do it more often, but quality over quantity, right? This year, we were inspired by Fahrenheit 451 to design a hearth and decorate it for Christmas. I drew the outline for the hearth and printed up the stockings using clip art. Several of my students drew the fire and bricks and put on the finishing touches with paint. Each student then chose one character from the novel and designed a stocking for that character using text-based details. I LOVE the way it turned out!! I’m so proud of it, I’ll probably be “one of those people” who leave their Christmas decorations up year-round. LOL!

As you can probably see, this year was about all about a focus on reading — fiction and nonfiction. I wanted students to see the value in reading and truly immerse themselves in it. Making text-to-text connections, text-to-world connections, and text-to-self connections really taught students to dig in and read closely. I think the reading focus paid off: Just seeing students doing more guided reading in class and independent reading out was fulfillment enough, but we also saw major improvements in ACT reading scores with students making gains of 5-6 points on the reading section and some students scoring 30+. That sounds like a great year to me! Share your best moments of 2018 below, and here’s to having your own classroom success stories in 2019!

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The Books of Summer: A Linky of Titles for Book Lovers

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:06:18 GMT

The Books of Summer:

A Linky of Titles for Book Lovers

When summertime finally rolls around, I can get back to reading. Reading is actually one of my favorite things to do, but when school is in session, there is just no time. I’m sure that’s true for most teachers. I always have a few books stored away on my wish list or shelf just waiting for the covers to be cracked, but I’m always on the lookout for new ones to add. So, I thought, “What a fun idea for a summer linky!” Below are five titles up for your consideration, and at the bottom, you can link up your suggestions for what you’ve read and loved. I can’t wait to watch my wish list grow!

1. Up to Bat – John Grisham’s Sycamore Row

Keep in mind that I am usually several years behind what’s hot in books, shows, and movies because my yearly schedule stays packed. So even though this is a 2013 publication, I am just currently reading it, and I’m struggling to put it down! This is the second Jake Brigance novel. The first? A Time to Kill. If you’ve never considered it, do. If you are familiar with it, enough said. I’m only hoping there is a movie in the works…. Matthew McConaughey?

2. On Deck – James Dashner’s The Maze Runner

3. In the Hole – Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman

4. Base Hit – Jodi Picoult’s Salem Falls

This 2001 book is a page turner to the very end – literally. I am big fan of Picoult’s writing style – so smart. So, one summer I loaded up on some of her books at the local used bookstore. This was in my stack, and it piqued my interested based on the intertextuality with The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials. I am putting it on my short list here because it is a book that I have read multiple times. As with any Picoult novel, the characters are richly developed, the plot twists and turns, and the details are delish.

5. MVP – James Patterson’s Sam’s Letters to Jennifer

It is tough for me to pick just one all-time favorite book. Typically, when someone asks me for my favorite book, I answer in categories (so I can choose more than one). For my students, it’s_______; For teaching, it’s______; For pleasure, it’s______; – so this is a hard one. In this case, I’m going to say this title is on the list as a personal favorite – not tied to school – and in that case, I’m a sucker for a sappy love story! I also have to say here that I have several ties for first, so this is just one of my favorites. You don’t typically expect a love story from James Patterson – he even said so when I heard him speak a few years ago at NCTE. But…. this story does have the twists and turns you would expect from a Patterson novel. Of, course Sam’s Letters might also be my favorite, since I do have a signed copy! In fact, it might be time to read it again!

So, take a second and link up your books of summer! Link up 1-2 books that you love. You can link directly from Amazon or to a blog post you’ve written. Don’t forget to check back as the list grows AND help promote!

An InLinkz Link-up

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End-Of-Year Reflection: Top 5 Classroom Success Stories of 2019

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 18:20:55 GMT

End-Of-Year Reflection: Top 5

Classroom Success Stories of 2019

One of the most important things we can do as teachers is reflect, and so that’s why I love this annual blog post. It’s been my new year tradition for the past several years ( 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018 ), and choosing only five memorable teaching moments is always so hard, but here goes: My top five classroom success stories of 2019!

This year in review…

Teaching Gatsby for the first time in forever & writing the unit plan for it

A little bit Disney Frozen on the brain here, but it works. In the past, I had taught The Great Gatsby mainly in parts or just as a movie-viewing experience. So, this time around when I was able to teach the novel as a whole to my group of junior honors, I was very excited to unpack everything it has to offer. Most students love the idea of the 1920s and the mystery of Gatsby, so I just played off of that enthusiasm. I started the unit with problem-solving questions and station rotations that introduced the time period and the novel. Once we began reading, I loved having students track the colors, do guided close reading exercises, and analyze the characters. We closed with a “My American Dream” project, and it was really incredible to see what students aspire to become. I was very pleased with the way the unit turned out. Check out my complete unit, my movie-viewing guide, and my escape game here.

Island challenges for Lord of the Flies

I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun teaching The Lord of the Flies was after I decided to create the challenges. I had wanted to do something like this for a while with Flies, but never got up my nerve. Finally, I just dove in and did it. I am SO glad I did. Read more about all the challenges on this post. Get my entire unit plan here.

Vacation Bible School

It seems like VBS makes my greatest hits list every year, and that is fine with me. I enjoy the themes, the decorating, projects, crafts, and energy created by a week of studying the Word with kids. This year’s theme was The Incredible RACE. We traveled all around the world learning about different cultures and God’s love for us. We decorated our hallways like an airport and our classrooms like the inside of an airplane and the country we traveled to each night. What an awesome trip!

First Chapter Fridays

As soon as I saw this idea from my friend Lauralee over at The Language Arts Classroom , I knew I had to work it in somehow. Each Friday, I would start class with one chapter, or a piece of a chapter, from a book that I thought my students would be interested in. I related the books to holidays as well. See all the books I shared over on my Instagram , and I also took it up a notch by including pictures of our weekly destinations because my classroom library theme is “Books are an Adventure.” See the video of me explaining my weekly process here , my classroom library set up here , and get my classroom library materials free here.

Christmas Nativity bible escape games with the younger students

If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know how much I love escape games for the classroom. I create them every chance I get, and my high school students love them. This year, I was working with the PreK-4th grade students on Wednesday nights at church, and we were planning to study Paul’s escape from prison. I was in charge of the activity rotation, so of course, I thought – escape game! Since it was December, it only made perfect sense to do an escape game for the Christmas Nativity story. I ended up creating two games: one for the PreK-K level and one for the 1st-4th grade level. It was completely worth it. I always enjoy it when my high school students are playing, but I can’t even tell you how much fun it was playing the breakout games with my “littles.” None of them had ever played one before, but they figured it out quickly and ran with it. Grab these two games here.

I would love to hear about your greatest teaching moments and classroom success stories this year. Share below!

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Host a Gatsby Party: End of Year Literary-Themed, Text-Based Classroom Parties

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 18:08:36 GMT

Host a Gatsby Party: End of Year Literary-Themed, Text-Based Classroom Parties

It’s that time of year – the end of the year. And that means classroom parties. My students always ask for a party of some sort, so several years ago I decided I would allow them to have a party – on one condition – it must be literature based. We always study The Great Gatsby at the end of the semester, and, of course, it doesn’t get much better than that to inspire a party. If you are thinking about doing the same, here are a couple of ideas for planning your Gatsby party! (These tips can be easily applied to hosting a literature-based party for any text, and I’ve even provided a few more stories at the bottom that might work if Gatsby’s not on your reading list.)

1. Reading/Watching the Full Text

Because the purpose of the party is to make the literature come alive and have students step right into the pages of the book, it is crucial that they understand the mood and time period of the story. I don’t usually have time on a block schedule to have students read Gatsby, but we do watch the film to experience it. I use various resources from my movie guide throughout the film to make watching more rigorous.

2. Close Reading the Party Passage

In Gatsby , we read a section of Chapter 3 to the quote “Good night, old sport. . . . good night.” The party scene here is very descriptive, so it’s excellent for having students go through and chart what the characters experience. We make a list of what colors are mentioned, food, music, drink, even décor. I also use this time to discuss figurative language used, other literary elements of the passage, and what purpose the party serves to the text as a whole. You can do the close reading before the end of the text or after you have finished it completely. I especially like doing the close reading from the novel with the movie because it exposes students to the text.

3. Planning

Once have students have noted what the text itself says, we then go back and make a new column for how we can adapt that to our classroom. With Gatsby specifically, we can’t bring any bubbly to school, so we discuss options for what to bring. The same is true for the food. We let the text inspire what we can bring to class, so students must get creative. For example, in Gatsby , it mentions “glistening hors d’oevre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pasty pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.” So students bring finger foods and turkey sandwiches, for example.

4. Hosting

I bring a tablecloth and other various glamorous decorations to enhance the atmosphere. Of course, I play 20’s jazz music and music from the “new” Gatsby movie soundtrack. I also want students to “dress” the part as closely as we can do a Gatsby party, but with some obvious boundaries. I do teach in a rural school, so I have to keep that in mind when considering what students have access to. They are welcome to “create” some Gatsby inspired outfits to wear, but the text does give some specific examples: yellow dresses, blue and white suits, and bright primary colors. I encourage students to at least wear a nice top that fits into one of those categories.

5. Managing

I do have a rule that you must bring something to go through the food line. Most times we have plenty, but the very few times that I have someone not bring something, I do let them go through at the end. Again, I do teach in a rural area, but during the planning process, we plan things that are doable for everyone. For example, we do need napkins, and sometimes people will even go in together to bring a bigger item. Another thing I do on party day is schedule a project to be due. We are on a block schedule, so 90 minutes is a long time for students to be partying. At the end of Gatsby , my students are required to do an American Dream project, so they present those the first half of the class, and then we eat the second half. See how my American Dream project turned out here!

Get my lesson plan and guide for FREE! Click the thumbnail below for an instant download.

Other Notable Parties in Literature

-Bilbo Baggins’s Eleventy First Birthday Party from The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

-The tea party in Pygmalion (When I do this one, I have students make hats that symbolize who they are to wear to the party.)

-The ball in Romeo and Juliet

-The Victor’s Tour Party in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

-A Jane Austen ball

-The Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in the Wonderland

-Ichabod Crane is a hungry fellow in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

If the novel or story you are studying doesn’t have a full-blown party scene, as an alternative you could have students trace the food mentioned in the book and use that as inspiration. For example, the dauntless cake in Divergent. Another approach would be if the text you are reading has a party scene but details are lacking (as in some mentioned above), have students research the time period and host the party based on those findings.

Eat up!

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Best Test Prep Ideas & Strategies for Middle & High School

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 17:40:30 GMT

Best Test Prep Ideas & Strategies

for Middle & High School

When it comes time to start prepping for standardized testing, I like to plan a variety of activities to review the materials we’ve spent all semester covering. We all want students to show what they know and do their best on the tests that mean so much, and if you are like me, you are always looking for new test prep ideas and strategies. Thus, to make your job easier, I’ve curated this list of the Best Test Prep Ideas and Strategies for middle and high school students for any subject.

CLASSROOM DECOR FOR TEST PREP

During the review process, it can be helpful to hang up posters that provide students with test-specific information and vocabulary. We often forget that test vocabulary can be a barrier for students, but a quick review of those words could really be worthwhile. Hello Teacher Lady created a poster set that contains 15 high-quality posters — including definitions and question/sentence stems — along with a helpful one-page student reference sheet to showcase test terms such as summarize, analyze, compare, interpret, and more. They are perfect and pertinent for any subject.

For all my ELA friends out there, you may be interested in some ELA-specific term posters. Capture your students’ attention and decorate your classroom with my 12 ELA terms posters made with real pictures that teens will love. Each picture illustrates, defines, and provides an example of one term.

O Some Great Stuff for English Teachers has an alternative to the posters above. She created a vibrant presentation illustrating Literary Elements and Devices . It has slides featuring plot elements, characterization, and point of view and even literary devices such as allusion, foil, satire, hyperbole, etc.

Perhaps you’ll eventually have to cover your subject-area posters or remove them from your walls entirely. In that case, you’ll need new cute and motivational wall coverings that you can print and use easily! If you like an eclectic flair, check out my ten pack of posters with positivity and motivational reminders.

The Scholar Source created a set of seven test motivation posters in a black and white with glitter gold theme that you can just print and go, and they are super cute.

I also like how Think Tank gets her students involved in creating the motivational classroom decor. Students work together to piece their Test Prep – Test Motivation “block” with their classmates. The result is a beautiful, fun, one-of-a-kind pop-art to hang in the hall. Check it out here.

MOTIVATION & EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR TEST PREP

At the end of the day, I suppose that no one really wants to take a series of tests, and no one really gets excited about all those bubbles. However, we need our students to feel upbeat and energetic about testing because the results often mean so much. That’s why this category is so important! One of the things that have always stuck out to me is how much emphasis we put on the tests… so much so that it’s easy to forget how all that pressure makes the students feel. A few years ago, my students were really worried, and I realized they were internalizing the test. I created a quick lesson and activity right away to teach them about the true meaning of success and how they are more than the test. You can grab that lesson here free .

During the testing week or weeks, it’s also important to keep students’ energy levels up. I created a Surviving the Standardized Testing Season Survival Kit with tons of goodies to do just that all around the theme of Rocking the Test!

Gifts are another easy way to motivate students by reminding them you care. Teaching and Caffeine created an entire bundle of test treat tags that you can print and use in a snap. There are tons of options!

The Booked-Up Tutor also gives her students a little treat for testing, too. I love her doodling growth mindset bookmarks that double as stress relievers.

The Literary Maven helps relieves her students’ stress by giving them a fake test ... all in good fun! You can administer this fake test as if it were real and once students realize that it’s not, ask them to generate their own ridiculous test questions. Have students take each other’s “tests” or ask students to share out their best questions. Laughter is the best medicine, after all!

Read a bit more about busting test stress over at my blog post, “Ways People React to Test Anxieties That Might Annoy Others” . My ELA teacher friend, Lauralee over at The Language Arts Classroom also shares four ideas that help her help her students shed the test-prep anxieties over on her blog.

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES

Students can know all the content possible, but they most likely won’t be as successful as possible without some test-taking strategies up their sleeves. The Literary Maven also designed a lesson to help students be successful on standardized testing . You can use the section focused on multiple-choice questions, constructed responses, or both depending on the format of the test and your students’ needs. Students will fill in strategies in the guided note-taking packet and annotate the questions, passages, and prompts as directed throughout the lesson. Think Tank also gives her students some test-taking tips by having them complete an escape game! This Test Taking Strategies Escape Room will take students on a secret mission through two 360° VIEW rooms. This digital escape room has students decode interesting facts about basic test-taking strategies/test prep to help them succeed on a test. Your students will definitely have a blast; I want to play this game, too!

Further, with more and more tests moving to digital formatting, it is important to take your content/practice online. For my grammar teachers out there, check out my fully digital, fully self-grading online grammar practice.

REVIEW GAMES AND STRATEGIES FOR TEST PREP

From games to stations to task cards to Kahoot and Quizlet to trashketball to old-fashioned bubble sheets for practice, we are doing everything we can to keep the subject-area content fresh and our students engaged until it’s time for them to take the test.

If it’s ELA review you need, I love to play “I Have Who Has” to review vocabulary. The Littlest Teacher uses a variety of games to review terms and grammar with her English language arts middle school students. You can grab her entire bundle here. I also have my students review grammar with basic skill drill worksheets from my ten-minute grammar packs. Sometimes we get creative with my real-world grammar fails task cards — they are super funny, so they relieve stress, too! Melissa over at Reading and Writing Haven also shares a fun list of resources on her blog, too.

High school history teachers will want to check out this bundle of US History Review Games from Social Studies Success . Plus, she has a very detailed blog post with tons of ways to review using task cards with any subject. Other subjects might enjoy this list from Write on with Miss G that offers plug and play ideas, which would work for any content area. Endeavors in Education shares her take on a test-review scavenger hunt; it looks simple and fun! When I’m having students work through a sample test, I like to use an activity called Tear and Share. Students fold a piece of paper down the middle vertically. They write their answers twice, and turn in one side. After everyone has finished, they take their remaining side to a group for collaboration. While working through the test again, the group creates a team answer sheet. It forces them to review, re-read, and justify their answers. We go over the sample test, and the team with the most correct wins a prize. No prep at all, but super effective.

AFTER THE TEST

Once the tests are completed and sent off for scoring, then what? There are likely weeks of school remaining, and failing to have student-centered, engaging lessons for those days following the test will only leave you frazzled and frustrated. The OC Beach Teacher is an expert at developing student-centered lessons, and she shares her tips here . I like to plug a movie in here and there, too, to mix it up a bit. See my entire catalog of ready-to-go movie guides here and click over to this blog post where I share how to make showing a movie meaningful. You can also have students select a book to read independently… any subject can join in on this fun. Choose no prep book activities from my Making Literature Come Alive pack . Short research projects, escape games, and informational hot topics lessons are all other really doable choices that keep students tuned in the last few days of school without much prep.

As you are planning for test prep, it’s important to remember that mixing up your choices will help students stay focused. It’s also important to remember to keep the content first — and games second, meaning, if the game or activity is too complicated or too trivial, your entire purpose will be lost. As you and your students take on the test… best of luck!

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Ways People React to Test Anxieties that Might Annoy Others: Are You Guilty?

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 17:06:42 GMT

Ways People React to Test Anxieties that Might Annoy Others Are You Guilty

Testing season is upon us, and with that comes test anxiety. Although, I’m not sure who has more anxiety about the tests – teachers or students! Either way, the stress that goes along with testing is very real, so I thought a light-hearted post was in order. This post was inspired by a conversation I had with my students after they completed the state writing exam, which is timed and taken on the computers. We aren’t allowed to administer the test to our own students or discuss test content, but I always like to ask them how they feel about it afterward. My honors group had been very nervous, apparently, because their senses were heightened by every possible distraction in the room. To say they were somewhat distracted by every little thing would be a huge understatement. I couldn’t help but laugh as they shared their testing room experience with me. Perhaps their list of “Ways People React to Text Anxieties That Might Annoy Others” will give you a little chuckle.

1. Leg Shaking

Anxiety increases adrenaline levels, and when adrenaline goes up, your body has a natural “fight or flight” response. Leg shaking must equal the need to get up and run out of the room for dear life. It might make time pass more quickly for you, but the person next to you feels as if they are on a bad amusement park ride. If you’re a leg-shaker, try to just wiggle just your toes!

2. Heavy Mouth Breathing and Nose Sniffling

I almost laughed so hard I cried when my kids mentioned this to me, but it’s a reality. When that adrenaline gets going, breathing is a struggle. If you often find yourself short of breath during testing, try to do a few breathing exercises before entering the testing room, so you have that under control!

3. Mumbling

What signifies mumbling, you might ask? Well, if you are Goody Osburn (from The Crucible ), mumbling could get you condemned as a witch. If not, you might just be a testing room proctor who isn’t quite on her “A game.” In this case, the proctor was mumbling to herself and hovering during the entire test. When you are reading and writing on the spot, every moment counts. Being distracted by a mumbler, well, that’s not the charm you are looking for.

4. Loud Typing/Writing

Machine guns firing. That’s what my students told me it sounded like when people began typing their essays. (Teenagers love hyperbole.) In a room of complete silence, though, I imagine that is probably true. While some students were still trying to read the text, others were rapidly firing their sentences to beat the clock. Online testing… sounds like an efficient way to collect and grade responses, but in reality, it might not be the best “bang” for the buck.

5. Pen Clicking/Tapping

This is probably my biggest personal pet peeve. It’s not band class and we don’t need a drum roll, but some students/people can’t resist the urge to click, click, click, rap, tap, tapping at my chamber door….. Oh, sorry. I forgot I wasn’t quoting Poe. Yes, the tapping. If pen clicking is your go-to tick during testing, perhaps take some writing utensils that aren’t so interactive or grab a silent Pop-it toy!

Are you guilty of any of these test anxiety quirks? You probably don’t even know you have these aggravating habits, but it is probably driving someone else in the room batty! May the odds be ever in your *testing* favor! Click on the keep calm image below to download a free pdf version of this cute sign!

Click over to my blog post “ Best Test Prep Idea and Strategies for Middle and High School Students ” for a huge collection of goodies, ideas, and more.

Also, don’t miss my freebie: You Are Not the Test activity, too.

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When the Weather Outside is Frightful... Teach Snow-Themed Literature Lessons

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:49:44 GMT

When the Weather Outside is Frightful... Teach Snow-Themed Literature Lessons

As I sit here watching the snow falling outside my window on a much-needed snow day off from school, I think about my plans for when I head back. Seeing as how it will still be very cold and somewhat snowy when we do return, my students might in the mood for some snow-themed literature. If your area is covered with a blanket of snow as well, consider a wintry lesson while the ground thaws! Depending on the level of students you teach or how much time you have, check out this list of stories that features a snowy setting. What’s better than that? Print-and-go lessons to accompany them, so you can make the most of your spontaneous snow days, too!

1. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

It doesn’t get any colder than this one! In my unit guide for this snowy saga, students are challenged to see if they would survive the wilderness before they trek through a series of activities to enhance their reading of this short story.

2. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

This poem may be the most obvious choice for a snow-day lesson, but have you considered pairing it with music? In my classroom-tested mini lesson, students explore theme across texts.

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I’m pretty sure that this text fits well with just about any situation from Halloween to the New Year to a snow day with its rich themes, layers of characterization, and diverse settings. The 2004 Lions Gate version of Shelley’s story sticks very closely to the text and never fails to draw my students in with the bitter warning this tale issues about science and human nature.

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Much like Frankenstein , I believe that I could work The Hunger Games into just about any lesson or unit I am doing regardless. It’s certainly one of my favorite young adult texts, and it’s perfect for my list of texts that made the cold cut. From President Snow himself to the cold setting in District 12 to Katniss’s icy personality, The Hunger Games would be a hot pick for a snow day flick.

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry

I vividly remember first reading this novel in the 7th grade, and I fell in love. In. Love. I read it over and over, and then I read the sequel. I imagined each and every scene in my mind as my 7th grade teacher read it aloud to our literature class. I can still see those images I pictured when I read it even now. Needless to say, it was those images that I hoped to see on the big screen when the movie version was released in 2014. I wasn’t entirely correct with my visions, of course, but surprisingly, what I had dreamed up for the Giver himself as well as the last scene of the snowy home was similar to what developed on screen. That is most certainly a credit to the master of words that is Lois Lowry. I’m excited about my newest item: The Giver Movie Viewing Guide.

Do you have a “cool” lesson that teens will love? Link up your resources any subject grades 7-12 below and share the linky!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Sports-Themed Lesson Ideas for Middle & High School English Class

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:27:53 GMT

Sports-Themed Lesson Ideas for

Middle & High School English Class

Fall means more than cooler weather and Friday night lights, and it also means sports are in full swing at high schools and colleges across the country. Many of our students eat, sleep, and breathe athletics, so why not tap into that energy in the English classroom? Sports-themed lessons can be a powerful way to boost engagement while still targeting reading, writing, and language standards. Here are a few “slam dunk” ways to connect English skills to sports.

1. Media Literacy & Sports Analysis

Sports aren’t just played—they’re broadcast, marketed, and celebrated through media. Students can analyze commercials, social media posts, or highlight reels to explore persuasive techniques, rhetorical appeals, and audience targeting . For example, break down a Super Bowl ad or a Nike campaign and discuss the use of ethos, pathos, and logos. This also works well with debate or discussion activities , letting students form opinions and justify them using evidence from the media.

�� Pair this with my Super Bowl Commercial Analysis activity or other media literacy resources to make lessons interactive and relevant. I offer these activities FREE for ELA and Yearbook/Journalism ! You can also read my blog post about using the Super Bowl in ELA class here .

2. Sports-Themed Figurative Language & Vocabulary

Sports offer a fun way to strengthen both vocabulary and figurative language skills. If you already teach a set of vocabulary words each week, try mixing it up by having students create spirit posters for their favorite school sport using those words. It’s an easy way to practice spelling, usage, and word connections in a creative format.

You can extend the activity by layering in figurative language. Sports commentary and advertisements are filled with similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification, so why not use that energy in class? Assign groups different figurative language terms (or let them choose) and ask them to design posters describing their favorite sport or team using their assigned device.

�� For extra creative practice, grab my FREE sports-themed figurative language coloring page —a quick, no-prep way to review while keeping students engaged.

3. Reading About Sports in ELA: Fiction and Nonfiction

Sports make an engaging lens for reading practice—whether you’re working with poetry, nonfiction, or longer texts. A couple of favorites are my “Boys of Fall” poetry lesson (using Kenny Chesney’s lyrics for figurative language and theme) and my hot topics nonfiction articles on hazing and coaches’ behavior , which spark strong discussions and critical thinking. You can even pair canonical anchor texts with excerpts from modern memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies of famous and influential athletes and coaches. I do this when I teach Olaudah Equiano and pair it with the opening excerpt from Tony Dungy's memoir. See that lesson here.

If you’re looking to dig deeper or have time for a full novel unit, my novel guide for John Grisham’s Bleachers provides everything you need to teach the text, including a creative activity where students analyze color and number symbolism. For classrooms short on time, I’ve included a set of close reading excerpts with targeted ELA skills —perfect for stations, small groups, or bell-to-bell activities.

�� If you are already in the middle of a novel unit and want to make it sports-themed, grab my new Jersey Symbolism activity that works with any text!

4. Writing About Sports-Themed Topics in ELA

Score big with writing prompts that tap into students’ love of sports. A creative narrative task might ask students to tell the story of a heroic athlete both on and off the field—perfect for practicing character development and plot. See my Narrative Writing Unit for tons of graphic organizers and rubrics . For argument writing, try prompts like Which sport offers the most benefits? or Should athletics be part of the school day? These lead easily into lessons on claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals. See my complete teaching pack for claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals here.

For something a little different, have students step into the role of a sports commentator. My creative sportscaster review activity (part of my Creative Writing Activities Pack) invites students to write and perform their own play-by-play or highlight reel from the "big" moment in any text you are reading. I love to use it after the Beowulf v. Grendel fight scene! It’s a fun way to build descriptive language, tone, and voice—all while letting students show off their personality.

�� Whether narrative, argumentative, or performance-based, sports-themed writing tasks are a strong way to develop skills while keeping motivation high.

5. Research and Presentations About Sports

If you have a little more time—or access to technology—sports make a strong springboard for research projects. One idea is to have students investigate the number of injuries in high school athletics and present their findings in a short multimedia project. This not only builds research and presentation skills but also opens the door for reviewing MLA formatting and citations . See my complete teaching pack for MLA formatting here.

You can also broaden the scope by letting students explore topics such as the history of a particular sport, the cultural impact of athletics, or controversies like performance-enhancing drugs or gender equity in sports. Presentations can take many forms: slide decks, digital posters, or even short video clips.

�� Give students a research organizer or presentation rubric to keep them on track and ensure academic standards are met. Sports give students an entry point they care about, and the research process helps them see connections between the game and the real world.

In Conclusion

Sports provide a natural way to engage students across multiple areas of English language arts. From building vocabulary and exploring figurative language to reading poetry, nonfiction, and novels, there are countless ways to tap into students’ interests while reinforcing key skills. Writing tasks—from creative narratives to argumentative essays and sportscaster reviews—let students express themselves, while research and presentations encourage critical thinking and real-world connections. And don’t forget media literacy—analyzing commercials, broadcasts, and social media helps students understand how language and visuals influence audiences.

With just a few simple adjustments, sports-themed lessons can transform your classroom into a space where learning feels as exciting as game day. Bridging the gap between academics and sports isn’t always an easy task, but when you can make connections like with these sports-themed lesson ideas, you open up the opportunity to reach more students. That is definitely a win-win!

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Super Bowl Football Commercials: A Winning Strategy for Teaching Rhetorical Analysis

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:13:36 GMT

Super Bowl Football Commercials: A Winning Strategy for Teaching Rhetorical Analysis

A little bit touching, a little bit thought-provoking, and a whole lot funny – Super Bowl commercials are rich with material for lessons. Since I’m an English teacher, I see these commercials as the perfect opportunity to cover persuasive appeals, rhetorical devices, literary techniques, and even media choices. I’m sure we all have our favorites for different reasons, but the ones I linked below are the ones I love because I am that nerdy English teacher! I’ve compiled them all in one place for you, so all the research is done. If you haven’t covered Common Core R.7 or SL.2 yet, the Super Bowl would be the perfect opportunity to do so AND make a real-world connection. Your cool teacher rating? 10 out of 10! This Super Bowl Commercials Lesson Plan always “scores big” with my classes!

2013 DODGE “SO GOD MADE A FARMER” WITH PAUL HARVEY NARRATING

Teaching Notes: While Paul Harvey might be an out-of-date reference for most teens today, for older generations, that voice is immediately recognizable – thus, providing a sense of ethos or credibility to the Dodge Ram automatically. Also, the commercial banks largely on pathos or emotional appeal using the techniques of transfer with patriotic images sprinkled throughout and loaded words with lines such as “God made a farmer…. to work hard, to stay up late, to participate on the school board, etc.” Even though it seems that this commercial is targeting only one audience – farmers – it illustrates beautifully the core of the American Dream: hard work. That is a claim that connects with any audience.

BUDWEISER CLYDESDALE “PUPPY LOVE” 2014

Teaching Notes: It seems like Budweiser always tugs at the heartstrings with those beautiful horses every year, and they’ve done it again this time by doubling the cuteness factor. This example actually went on my Top 5 Fav list by request of my students. They loved it, and for good reason. It is dripping with pathos from the adorable puppy to the lyrics of the song. Also, the final call to action screenshot employs a pun, and if it’s punny, I’m a fan! #bestbuds – used to pull together the theme of the commercial and to make that final push of the product. Genius, right?

MONSTER.COM “WHEN I GROW UP” 2008

Teaching Notes: Wow. This is one that really makes you stop and think. Not only is this one an excellent example of pathos, but the underlying dark logic used here with the faulty comparison, “you must go after your dreams or be stuck in a job you hate,” is definitely an “in your face” type approach. Also, important to note is the choice of the black and white color scheme that darkens the mood even further. I like that this commercial works perfectly for an ELA class, but it would also work well in a personal finance class for preparing for your future and goal setting or even for discussion in a human services class.

“CAT HERDING” (2000) EDS.COM

Teaching Notes: I tend to really, really enjoy dry humor and verbal irony, so I had to double-check the funny factor of this one with my students. They agreed that it is a solid choice for funny! When the two cowboys are discussing their “injuries,” I am laughing so hard I can barely breathe – maybe that’s because I can relate to the cat-herding feeling as a teacher some days! This one is definitely tickling the funny bone, which falls into the pathos category, and I also enjoy the metaphor used for the company’s goal of pulling all sorts of information together in one place.

“MIDDLE SEAT” – DORITOS 2015

Teaching Note: This fan-made ad from 2015 is stop, drop, and roll hilarious. If you’ve ever flown, you know that fear of not knowing who is going to be sitting beside you. The struggle is definitely real! I appreciate the creativity here, and it’s a perfect example of situational irony. Of all his antics in this one, it’s hard to choose which one is the most outlandish – maybe the flossing or toe-nail clipping… shudder!

HERE ARE A COUPLE MORE OF MY FAVORITES…

Coca-Cola Make It Happy Coca Cola, 2016

SunTrust, On Up, 2016 (This is my new FAVORITE! Like, really, SunTrust/Truist, you nailed it!)

Fiji, Nature’s Gift, 2017

Honda, Dream On, 2017 (being the yearbook sponsor, this one had to make my list!)

NFL, Inside These Lines, 2017

Hop over to my TPT store to get my FREE Big Game Commercial Analysis Super Bowl Commercials Lesson Plans

And check out my other post about making connections with sports in your ELA classroom.

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A Hands-On Approach for Analyzing Model Papers & a Method for the Analytics Summary

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 15:50:19 GMT

A Hands-On Approach for

Analyzing Model Papers & a Method

for the Analytics Summary

To prepare my students for the state writing exam they will take in February, I began developing materials to help them step through the process. They will actually write two text-based essays: an analytic summary and a compare/contrast essay. The analytic summary is straight from Common Core R.2 and W.2, and it is a completely new mode for our state. Here are the steps in the lesson I did with my students to introduce the analytic summary.

Step #1 Define the Mode and Cover Vocabulary Words

Whether it is a familiar mode or not, it is important for students to know the premise behind the prompt. This enables them to understand the basis of the task and ultimately know how to shape their response to achieve the desired outcome. I even show them the standard(s) from which the mode is derived. Secondly, in this step, I provide the students with the vocabulary words and definitions so there are no barriers in understanding there. (I provide a list of those, as well as the explanation of this mode, in my Analytic Summary Teaching Pack on TPT ).

Step #2 Break Down the Prompt and Read the Stimulus

So students fully step into the simulation, I feel the steps must be authentic to the process they will encounter on the state exams. I found an interesting nonfiction article and created a prompt and some sample papers to go with it. I have the students read the prompt to themselves and circle all the action verbs/commands that it tells them they have to do. Then we number those, and ultimately they have a road map or checklist of what needs to be completed. This way they don’t leave anything out once they start the process on their own, and they know what it is asking them to do. I find that with this type of prompt, students tend to actually miss what the prompt says to do. Instead they get fixated on the issue raised in the stimulus. This step helps combat that issue. Next, we read the stimulus, as that is the first step that the prompt says to do. I provide students with highlighters, and they make specific notes about the article’s purpose and main points. We do spend a few minutes here summarizing (using the SWBST strategy ) and discussing the article. While they can’t discuss anything during the state exams, I find it necessary to model how I want them to read the stimulus and for what information, so it’s still part of the learning process here.

Step #3 Red Light – Green Light

In this step, students read the model papers. I knew I wanted students to categorize the model essays, so I had those ready to go. But as I looked out over the class, I saw a bunch of glassy-eyed teens. I do have to give them credit because they understood the importance of what we were doing and were really trying, but who wants to sit and grade papers all period, right?!? As if a light bulb flipped on, it hit me… Red Light Green Light. I hurried over to my cabinet and pulled out three colors of sticky notes. Thank goodness I had red, yellow, and green. Well, we pretended the pink was red! The activity is really simple: Students read the three papers and had to categorize them. That’s where the sticky notes, hands-on activity came in. The students placed the sticky notes on the essays according to the following directions:

Red Sticky = Completely off-topic (Stop and Start Over)
Yellow Sticky = Just a summary (Slow down and take another look)
Green Sticky = On topic addresses all requirements in the prompt (Good to Go!!)

Once they had the sample essays categorized, we voted on which one was which. Some students didn’t have them correct, so we discussed the correct answers. There are a couple of things that I love about this activity. First, it is hands-on, and that makes it better already! Secondly, students are actually getting to see three types of answers, and the ball is in their court to figure out which is which. It’s a good, productive struggle.

Step #4 Comparing and Contrasting the Yellow and Green Essays

In this step, I provided students with a Venn diagram and their job was to analyze the yellow and green essays to determine what qualities they each possess that landed them in that category. I encouraged students to lists strengths and struggles of each essay. Students worked with one partner to complete this portion of the lesson, which fosters healthy discussion and sharing of ideas. (I love listening in on their conversations when they are talking about writing! Nerdy, huh?) Then I took suggestions from them and wrote those answers on the board.

Step #5 Scoring the Essays

It’s not a secret that students will be given a grade for the essays they write for the state exams. In this step I have a copy of the state rubric, and students give the two essays a score. This is a crucial step so that actually know what must be included to achieve a passing score, and they have a solid example right in front of them.

This lesson took me two 90 minute class periods with a class of honors juniors. I could definitely see it taking maybe a day longer to go even more in-depth with discussion.

These steps and activities can be done for any mode and with any set of sample papers. If your state is administering the Analytic Summary as part of your End of Course exam or if you are looking for a higher-level expository prompt, hop over to my store to get a full teaching pack that includes graphic organizers, and the sample prompt, and papers I used in this lesson!

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What Not to Miss When Teaching Fahrenheit 451

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:25:17 GMT

What Not to Miss When

Teaching Fahrenheit 451

There is so much to teach and learn when reading Ray Bradbury’s magnum opus: Fahrenheit 451 . I’m compiling this list of not-to-miss points when teaching Fahrenheit 451 after having taught it for years and years, but also with the disclaimer that every time I teach it, I see something new. However, these five aspects of the book surface each time through as the topics that spark the most learning and enjoyment.

1. The Language & Allusions

I suppose this wouldn’t be a proper English-teacher approved blog post, if I didn’t include the beautiful word choice, figurative language, and carefully chosen allusions throughout. One criticism or challenge students might face with this novel is Bradbury’s “overuse” of figurative language; it can often be difficult for readers to wade through. Thus, I provide students with a list of the figurative language from each section, and they identify what type of figurative language that is used. Sometimes students do that alone for a grade or in the form of my beautiful Fahrenheit 451 coloring sheets. Other times, we do it as a game in groups: I set a timer and they identify as many as they can before the timer goes off. (Use a song about fire as a timer for thematic fun!). Even though identifying the types of figurative language is not an “application” level task, it teaches students to notice the language as they read. In turn, that creates reading with a more critical eye and allows them to see patterns, themes, symbols, and more – which is a higher level skill. In this book, that is really important as Bradbury uses the figurative language to illuminate major themes and concepts such as in the way he describes the book pages as feathers early in the novel, which connects to the Phoenix allusion later on, for example. The allusions in the novel also add layers of meaning. Of all the books and mythology mentioned, Bradbury chose each one carefully, I believe. In my Complete Unit Guide for Fahrenheit 451 , I provided tools for figurative language and allusions.

2. The Predictions

In the early 1950s when Fahrenheit 451 was published, it was considered a science-fiction novel, and it typically still is considered as such. Bradbury stated in interviews that his primary motivation for writing Fahrenheit 451 was concern for “how television destroys interest in reading literature.” With that fear as the guiding conflict, he traced the implications of too much television on a society… but not just television. I picture him wondering “Where could this talking box take us? and What else could possibly be invented?” What we got was the picture of a dystopian society that is frighteningly all too familiar to us less than 100 years from then. These “predictions” of technological advancements and the state of humanity ultimately serve as warnings to our culture and our students’ generation. That’s not to be missed. In fact, it’s so important to me that I close my unit by having students investigate those predictions (earbuds, robot dogs, smart homes, etc.) to determine if they are really predictions or not. That short research project is included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451 . By completing the project students note how the “predictions” really do come true and that they weren’t really all that far-fetched to begin with. We discuss, then, how that allows us to truly connect with the text, and it really does become the mirror that Bradbury intended.

3. The Motif of Fire

I am a fan of tracking while reading novels. Just ask my students — insert eye roll from them here. But now, every time we start a new text, they ask me “What are we tracking this time?” Truthfully, even though they may not enjoy the discipline of the tracking process, they do enjoy seeing how a motif, symbol, or character can be developed throughout the course of the novel. It keeps them tied to the novel in a meaningful way and keeps them alert while reading. I also like that it teaches the practice of annotation and since it’s so specific, it’s perfect for struggling readers. Advanced readers also excel with this type of practice because they begin to see the connections quickly. With Fahrenheit 451, we track the motif of fire, flames, burn, burning, heat, sparks, and the like. It may seem “typical” or “obvious” to track fire, but Bradbury is both implicit and explicit in his use of this motif, and I want my students to pick up what he is putting down. Throughout the course of the novel, students begin to see how the use of fire changes from something destructive in nature to an entity that provides warmth and new beginnings. Through tracking, students will also be able to see how each of the sections in the book end in fire, and in that, they’ll really begin to appreciate the writer’s craft. I also have students note Bradbury’s choice of section titles as part of this exercise. A fire tracker along with prompts about fire are included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451 , or just have students grab a sheet of paper and make a list as they read.

4. The Themes of Emptiness and Happiness

A case could certainly be made for many more themes than just emptiness and happiness, but I think these two concepts bookend the novel. As a pre-reading exercise, I have students write in response to a quick journal prompt: The word empty is mentioned forty-three times in the text of the novel. It is safe to say that Bradbury intended this emptiness to be a theme throughout the text. So, how do we get to this place? How do we get so empty? Write about a time when you felt empty. What filled your bucket back up? Students make text-to-self connections right away as well as tuning into this theme right away and what causes this internal conflict in the characters. About half way through the novel, I have students do another prompt on happiness: When Montag first met Clarisse McClellan she asked Montag is he happy. Now that you’ve seen the plot and conflict develop, is it happiness that Montag needs or something else? Explain. (This prompt and others are included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451 .) Despite the heavy warnings fused throughout the text, I don’t think Bradbury wanted to write a tragedy; I believe he wanted to show the causes and effects of darkness in order to inspire the light. It was Faber who gave us the recipe for happiness: choose quality books and take time to actually read them.

5. Censorship

I can’t imagine a world where people don’t want books, but I don’t live under a rock, either. As an English teacher, I regularly face resistance to reading from my students, and I see them moving further and further away from choosing to read. Books introduce ideas; they enable to us to travel to new places and meet new people; they give us education; they move us; they make us think; they make us look more closely at ourselves, which is what I think this book does so well. Bradbury’s gift was being able to look at the world around him and wonder… “what if?” and “why?” Ultimately, controlling books through censorship removes a sense of wonder from the world, and if nothing else, I want students to walk away from a unit on Fahrenheit thinking critically and knowing it’s ok – and encouraged – to wonder. After all, “There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house.” I love doing my banned book project around Banned Book Week that asks students to research why certain books have been banned throughout history. This project is included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451 .

There’s so much within the pages of this beautiful novel that it was really hard to narrow it down. One important thing to remember, though, when planning a novel unit is to ask yourself “Why?” What really do you want to accomplish with the novel, and go from there. It’s easy to want to include it all, but that is only frustrating for you and your students. While it was Bradbury that said, “Quantity produces quality,” it isn’t necessary to cover all the things with everything you read, it’s just necessary to cover everything with all the things you read. So, read all the things. ��

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How to Introduce a Novel: 5 Creative Strategies for Launching a Novel Unit in Middle and High School ELA

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:13:09 GMT

How to Introduce a Novel: 5 Creative Strategies for Launching a Novel Unit in Middle and High School ELA

Getting to teach a novel — or play — unit is one of my favorite parts of being a high school English teacher. I love everything about launching a novel study: setting up classroom décor, planning discussion routines, digging into character analysis, building projects and writing prompts, and watching students connect with the text. But my favorite part is always the beginning.

When I think about how to introduce a novel to my secondary ELA students, I focus on two goals:

Hook their attention with curiosity, excitement, and a sense of mystery without giving away major plot points, and
Provide the background knowledge and reading strategies they need to begin the text confidently.

If you’re wondering how to start a novel study or looking for fresh novel unit intro activities, here are five strategies I mix and match to launch a new book with purpose and energy: background information, thematic prompts, guided annotations, interactive games, and simple décor or “book gifts” that build anticipation.

Build Background Knowledge to Support Your Novel Study

To me, it’s always a tough decision whether or not to begin a novel unit with background information. There’s a plethora of such tidbits from which to choose: author facts, time period info, vocabulary, etc. In order to decide what of that information needs to be given up front, I really have to look at what students need to know in order to understand AND enjoy what they are reading. When I teach The Crucible , I do spend time discussing allegory and McCarthyism, but I don’t teach Puritanism right away. We read The Crucible in part to fulfill the requirement of understanding allegory, and they really would miss it if I didn’t teach that up front. (Been there. Done that.)

Once, another teacher told me she didn’t want to teach The Crucible anymore because the students hated it. That took the wind out of my sails. When I asked her why, she said the kids were tired of it before they even started reading. She explained how she would spend several weeks — weeks — going over the vocabulary, author info, historical context, etc. and that by the time she got all that done, the kids were over it! Sometimes, we think we have to tell students everything right away, but in most cases, the text will tell them for us. That’s why I don’t cover Puritanism before we read; they will see that as they read, and then we backtrack to cover that info based on evidence from the play.

Hear me explain more in this video about why I don't teach much "background info" first .

With that said, once you know what background/introductory material you really want students to have before they start reading, consider a few of these strategies to deliver that info. A lecture/ppt might be the best way to get some ELA vocabulary out to students. If I want to talk about the author, only if necessary, sometimes I’ll show a quick video or documentary. I like this choice if the author himself/herself is part of the video.

Other times, there are instances where I need to cover several aspects of background before we start, and in that case, I love to do discovery stations . When I start The Great Gatsby , I want to do a short review of the time period, have them meet the characters, explore the book covers — because I think it sparks their interest regarding plot and conflict — and a few other details. The discovery stations condense the info and organize it into bite-size chunks, so it’s not just days of note-taking. P.S. In the Gatsby novel intro stations, the only reason we talk about Fitzgerald is because it directly relates to the poem in the opening lines. �� Over on my Facebook page, I talk a little more about beginning a novel unit with author info . It’s a fine line what to include in the beginning of a literature unit, but it shouldn’t just be to check the box.

Use Thematic Writing Prompts to Introduce the Novel

Most novel units, and especially the ones I develop, come with short prompts that can be used to engage the students immediately. If you want to draw attention to a particular theme or have students make a personal connection that will be on their reading radar right away, then a short, quick write prompt is a very effective strategy for that goal. When my students read Fahrenheit 451 , I want them to notice and track the emptiness, so they write to the following prompt during our introductory lesson: The word empty is mentioned forty-three times in the text of the novel. It is safe to say that Bradbury intended this emptiness to be a theme throughout the text. So, how do we get to this place? How do we get so empty? Write about a time when you felt empty. What filled your bucket back up?

It amazes me that such a simple task draws their attention to this theme, and as soon as we start reading, students feel “clued in,” which is incredible because it teaches them to not only think like a reader but like a writer as well. They are reading on multiple thinking levels, and I love that. Never underestimate the power of writing when it comes to developing stronger readers. This option to begin a novel unit works really well if there is a theme you want them to track throughout. Choose one that ties directly to your essential question, so that it can guide your novel unit. The 451 prompt above is in my Fahrenheit 451 Novel Unit . Read more about how I teach Fahrenheit 451 at this blog post.

Teach Guided Annotations to Strengthen Close Reading Skills

When I first started creating and using guided annotations, I was using them mainly for close reading excerpts and poetry. This semester, though, guided annotations were an excellent way to set the stage for beginning our study of Where the Crawdads Sing. This book was the perfect candidate for a text dig initially because of that beautiful prologue. Any novel with a prologue, epigraph, or otherwise powerful opening paragraph(s) would lend itself to this strategy: The Scarlet Letter, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Tale of Two Cities . Guided annotations are short, purposeful tasks that direct students to mark up a text. Watch a quick video tutorial where I explain more about guided annotations over on my Instagram IGTV . You can usually print out a copy of the passage for students to mark on, or you could have students use sticky notes or place a sheet protector over the passage. The other thing I love about guided annotations as a novel opener is that it allows us to read aloud from the text right away.

Start with Interactive Games to Hook Secondary Readers

Students are always excited about the possibility of playing a game. They love the excitement, interaction, and competition. A few games that I’ve found work really well include the following:

Would You Rather – When we read Where the Crawdads Sing , I have students stand up and make a choice by moving to a certain side of the room to indicate their answer to certain topics: Would they rather go to school or be home-schooled… eat biscuits or cornbread… live in the country or city? We pause to discuss each one, and it really gets them debating!

Problem-Solving Questions – When a book has a character who really has to deal with making tough decisions, a game of problem-solving scenarios works really well. The Great Gatsby is ripe for characters who have to make tough decisions… even though most of the time they make the wrong one! To set up an activity like this, I write scenarios that the characters face, but I set them in modern times. Sometimes, I create a gallery walk, and students respond to them all. Other times, I give one scenario per group. It depends on what else I’m doing to start the unit and how much time I have.

Guess the Plot/Judge a Book By Its Cover – This is a simple one that requires pretty much no prep at all, but you can do it a variety of ways. I simply ask students “Based on the cover, what do you think this book will be about?” and they respond by writing it on a sticky note, texting it, posting it to a virtual wall like Padlet, or sending it into our virtual classroom stream. It’s fun to see what they say and look back on it later to check for accuracy.

Agree/Disagree – This one is similar to the problem solving scenarios in terms of conducting it, but students are responding to debatable points here instead that directly relate to the novel. For example, when we read Grisham’s Bleachers , I want students to think about controversial points that come up in the novel, so agree/disagree works really well. I ask them to consider points such as “Smoking, drinking, and doing drugs make you cool” or “Coaches should be allowed to act out when they are angry.” The points, then, stick with students as we read.

All of these games are, of course, designed to specifically set up the purpose, theme, plot, etc. of the novel unit.

Post Novel Decor, Do a Classroom Transformation, or Give “Book Gifts” to Build Anticipation

Making the novel come alive for students is what it’s all about. I want them to feel connected to what we are reading, and putting up some decor or offering a small gift lets them know I think books are magical and that I want them to enjoy it. Most all of my novel units include posters for your classroom and bookmarks that make perfect gifts. You can bring some “drinks” when you start The Great Gatsby, for example. You can also sprinkle “gifts” throughout the unit. When we read The Crucible , we have beans and chicken blood after Acts 1 & 2, and during Macbeth , we have snacks of witches’ brew and fingernails. I even have shirts for *most of the novels that I teach to wear on the day I begin a novel. We can just call that walking decor! Yes, it’s #extra, but if it makes my students excited about reading, then I’m all in!

Conclusion

Also, don’t forget to share your essential question(s) with students. They need to see where it’s all going and why, and a reading schedule helps, too. These 5 ways to begin a novel unit aren’t the only ways, but they are ones that I’ve had success with. I pick and choose and double up depending on what my goals are and how much time I have. Most all of my literature guides include multiples ways to begin the novel unit. Check out all my novel units here , and share with me other ways you open a novel unit in the comments below.

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Everything You Need to Know About Essential Questions in Lesson Planning

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 19:54:15 GMT

Everything You Need to Know About

Essential Questions in Lesson Planning

“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else,” Yogi Berra. We talk a lot about movement, growth, and going places in education, so it only makes sense that the analogy I’ll use for explaining essential questions and lesson planning stems from my obsession with old red trucks, right? Nonetheless, the essential question(s) should be IS the “driving force” of your lesson plan. In this post, I’ll share everything you need to know about essential questions in lesson planning.

WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION?

Essential questions are based on concepts that students should understand by the time they complete the lesson. Concepts are taken from and prompted by the standards. The purpose of essential questions is to drive the lesson being taught and provide a framework of focus. Essential questions present the big ideas/inquiries of an instructional lesson. Essential questions are necessary at the unit level and at the individual lesson level, as well. They are necessary for all subjects and grades.

WHY DO YOU NEED ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS?

The essential questions will assist in the grand design of the lesson. If you are like me when you plan, you often have way too much material, too many ideas, and way too many pieces. I often need to eliminate and focus. Writing essential questions helps me do that. Essential questions also generate enthusiasm and sustain inquiry that invites deep, critical thinking.

HOW DO YOU WRITE AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION?

Preferably, essential questions should provoke a thoughtful, informed answer. You’ll want to avoid questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” or one-word response. Thus, essential questions are open-ended and can have variations of correct answers. Consider starting questions with “how,” “why,” “when,” or “what” rather than “is” or “who.” Choose 1-5 questions. You can and should have overarching (thematic) and topical (skill-based) questions. They might also be universal or very specific.

Example from my The Great Gatsby Novel Plan :

Not open-ended: Is this story from another place and time relevant to me?
Revised to open-ended: How are stories from other places and times about me?

In the graphic below, the first two questions are more thematic, while the last one is specific to my English standards.

Curing “Activity‑itis”: How to Diagnose & Eliminate Busywork So You Can Assign Meaningful, Standards‑Based Activities

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 19:35:42 GMT

Curing “Activity‑itis”: How to Diagnose & Eliminate Busywork So You Can Assign Meaningful, Standards‑Based Activities

Class time is precious, and with so many standards to cover, every classroom activity needs to be purposeful, rigorous, and aligned to learning goals. Yet many of us have looked back at assignments and realized they were more busywork than standards‑based learning. Some activities are fun or cute, but they don’t always build skills or deepen understanding. I call this “activity‑itis”—the tendency to fill time instead of advancing learning. This post will help you evaluate the quality of your classroom activities, identify busywork, and redesign tasks to truly support student growth.

“Activity‑itis”? Understanding Busywork in the Classroom

Classrooms are full of movement, but not all movement equals learning. “Activity‑itis” is what happens when tasks look engaging on the surface yet fail to build skills, deepen understanding, or connect to standards. It’s the academic version of busywork: students are cutting, coloring, gluing, crafting, or completing steps, but they can’t articulate why they’re doing it or what they’re supposed to learn. When an activity is cute, trendy, or time‑filling rather than purposeful, it drains precious instructional minutes and masks the real issue — a lack of clarity, rigor, and alignment.

Symptoms of Activity‑itis: How to Spot Low‑Value Activities

The students have no idea why they are doing the activity .

You could probably argue that there will always be students who are clueless in the sense that they aren’t trying. In this case, the problem goes much deeper. There are times when I dive right into a lesson or activity and just don’t tell my students why we are doing it or what it connects to. If I just forget to tell them, that’s one thing, but if I can’t answer the questions “Why are we doing this?” or “What are they learning from doing this?” then why are we doing it?

Why are we building a model of a fireproof house with our 451 unit ? Guilty. Why are we drawing a picture of our favorite character in The Lord of the Flies ? Guilty again.

Instead, let’s trace the symbol of fire throughout the novel and analyze how it changes. Let’s read an informational text about how fire works and make literal and symbolic connections. If we want students to get to know characters, let’s have them create a body biography with text-based descriptions.

Just making some tiny, purpose-driven adjustments can spark huge changes in students’ growth and understanding.

The students are busy, but there’s no challenge.

I suppose this could happen for a couple of reasons, but like I said before, class time is precious and limited. Coloring, watching movies, listening to a podcast — just for the heck of doing it or because everyone else on social media is doing it. I actually use and sell resource for these types of activities; however, there is always something students are doing that is skills based.

Yes, coloring and movies make excellent brain breaks and sub plans, but even then, I just can’t get behind vacuous time-fillers. If students are coloring in my class, they will be editing sentences in order to color by number . If they are watching a movie , they are analyzing structure and style. More on using movies effectively in this post. If we are listening to a podcast, we are making connections, analyzing plot, or more — we aren’t just doodling.

There is always something that can be done to up the ante with any assignment.

The activity steps too far out of its subject, isn’t grounded in standards, or isn’t connected to any prior or future learning .

I think this one creeps up a lot in English class because we do so much with texts that we feel we need to introduce. When I first started teaching The Crucible , I felt I had to tell students everything they needed to know about Puritans before we started the unit. Then I had to spend another day or so talking about the 1950s. Then, yet another day was spent covering the elements of drama. A week or more had passed and we hadn’t even started reading the text; and my kids were bored and over it.

Eventually, I stepped back and asked myself, what I am I doing wrong? I love this play so much, but the kids hate it.

Then, I realized: it wasn’t the play they hated, it was the presentation. Wow.

So, how did I fix it? I asked myself one question: Why am I teaching this play? The answer? It wasn’t so they could learn the history of the Puritans. It wasn’t so they could understand the 1950s. It is so we could analyze a true hallmark in the canon of American literature — for the literature, to see how an author can craft a story that conveys both so creatively and expertly that we really don’t need much else than the text itself. In that regard, the only intro material I kept was one short informational text article about McCarthy and a quick vocabulary lesson on allegory. Then, we just dig in. I let the text do the talking. I developed questions, prompts, close reading exercises, and activities that drove students further and further into the text.

The result? Students who enjoyed the play more than ever before, and students who were mastering standards. More ideas on how to start a unit here.

The activity lacks true engagement and/or collaboration.

Students aren’t talking at all or aren’t talking about the actual task. How many times have you overheard students saying “What’s for lunch?” or “I have to work this afternoon” during an activity?

Sure, students get off task with even the best-designed activity. However, a key symptom of activity-itis is off-task students. If I have students in groups, what I really want them to be able to do is collaborate, bounce ideas off each other, and share out. I want them to even learn to hear different ideas and defend their own answers. I want my activity to garner 100% student engagement.

I love to have students think first, and talk second, so they have something prepared when they join the group. Task cards are hugely helpful with getting kids thinking and giving them direction. More ideas on using task cards in the classroom here.

There is no assessment, the assessment isn’t a challenge, or there is a discrepancy between the assessment and the activity.

If, at the end of the day, I’ve done a lesson and can’t measure whether the students really “got it,” then I’m in panic mode. For me, it can be as simple as asking them. Other times, I’ll have a worksheet they have to complete. Other people like to do the ticket out the door.

Another issue here is when the assessment only asks students to regurgitate what they’ve already been told in class, and there’s no application to demonstrate their learning. It’s very important that students can apply the skills they’ve been taught, so you can see if it stuck. I rarely give a final exam on the story we’ve read in class, where students recall details of the story. That doesn’t assess their hopefully newly acquired knowledge of plot, characterization, or symbolism. Rather, they will write about it, do another project with it, or read a shorter text and answer questions that test those skills.

Whatever you choose, again, it needs to be purpose-driven and truly measurable.

The Cure: How to Design Purposeful, Standards‑Based Activities

Design, discuss, and post essential questions to drive planning and measure learning. For more tips on creating essential questions and creating standards-based lessons and activities, take a look at my CC standards-aligned depth of knowledge chart , where I’ve aligned every ELA standard 9-12. More on using essential questions here.

2. Student self-reflection. This isn’t always easy, but with particularly reluctant groups, I have success with my weekly reflection task cards that come in my student-directed data pack. More on data collection here.

3. Think about the end goal when planning. In other words, plan backwards. In order to help myself remember this important piece, in every one of the teacher planners that I design , I have a reflection page at the end of the month. It reminds me to pause and reflect on what we accomplished and need to work more on. More on planning backwards in this post.

4. Assessments and measurements that are consistent and align with the skills.

5. Make connections to prior and future learning. This can be done effectively if you work inside units where a big picture is evident. A KWL chart activator is a perfect tool for making connections. I also love to do the 3-2-1 strategy .

Conclusion

Yes, there are crazy-day schedules, half days, sub days, or sick days, or any number of random odd days occasionally, when we need a quick, low-stakes, no prep activity, but even those days need to be utilized to matter.

Ultimately, I now evaluate each lesson and activity I plan for its standards-based value.

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Using Pictures in the Classroom: Catching Fire Hawaii Filming Locations

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 19:09:42 GMT

Using Pictures in the Classroom:

Catching Fire Hawaii Filming Locations

This summer I marked a major item off my bucket list. I saved for two years to take a trip to Hawaii for my 10th wedding anniversary, and as soon as school was out in June, my husband and I headed to the islands. While we were there, we had plans to see and do as much as possible. Of course, on the top of my list was scouting out as many Catching Fire filming locations as possible.

Before the trip, I contacted a touring company in Oahu to inquire if they offered CF island tours, and they told me that much of what eventually appeared in the film was computer generated and engineered, so they wouldn’t be hosting any tours specifically for this movie. However, they did suggest a few film sites on the island that the public could visit. Upon arriving, we rented a car and set out on our vacation. I was thrilled to be able to find all the sites on the list! I wanted to share them in a useful way, so I’ve compiled five of my favorite images with prompts you could use in your classroom with your Hunger Games: Catching Fire study.

1. North Shore, Oahu:

Several of the beach scenes were filmed along Oahu’s North Shore.

Prompt: Write a passage using imagery to describe the scene above. Imagine that your audience has never seen this image before, and it is your job to describe it to them.

2. Manoa Falls:

Many of the jungle scenes were filmed in the Manoa Valley. There were still some of the materials left behind here, and several areas were being reconstructed and restored.

Prompt: Consider the image of the deep jungle above. How might a setting such as this one affect conflict?

2. Turtle Bay:

Scenes from the Quarter Quell were filmed in Turtle Bay. The actors and actresses even stayed in the remote Turtle Bay resort. The peninsula that emerges from the beach is formed from lava rock, as many structures in Hawaii are. There are several scenes where the characters are shown on the lava rock in the arena.

Prompt: Consider the motif of fire that runs throughout the trilogy, and discuss the symbolism evident in the director’s choice to film in a location and juxtapose the characters with the lava rock in key arena scenes.

2. Manoa Valley:

In the heart of Oahu, Manoa Valley was home to several of the jungle scenes. This valley has several Monkeypod trees like the one Katniss climbs in the arena.

Prompt: What mood is evident in the image of the jungle locale above? Explain how this setting is affecting the mood.

2. Waimea Valley:

Also on Oahu’s North Shore is the beautiful Waimea Valley. The treacherous jungle, with its poisonous fog, aggressive baboons and even showers of blood, was filmed in remote locations of the Waimea Valley.

Prompt: Explore the irony of how this bright, rich lush setting of beauty and serenity could be used to create such turmoil. How/why does this choice work?

Whether you are reading the novels or watching the films, using these pictures would be an excellent opportunity to incorporate real-world and mixed-media. These could be used as bell ringers or placed in centers. If your students have access to computers or you do a flipped classroom, send students over to this link and have them choose which image/prompt they would like to explore.

Note: These images and prompts are copyright Julie Faulkner. They are not to be removed, used, and/or posted elsewhere.

All “fired up” about Mockingjay in theaters this week?? Get in the spirit with some of my fun Hunger Games activities.

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Teaching Strategies Inspired by a Country Music Concert

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:51:48 GMT

Teaching Strategies Inspired by a Country Music Concert

Being from Tennessee, I grew up visiting Dollywood and listening to southern gospel music—or pretty much anything with a country twang. So when I had the chance to see Dolly Parton live, just a short drive from my own Tennessee mountain home, I seized it. Around the same time, another favorite—Jason Aldean—was performing nearby, and I couldn’t resist snagging a ticket to that show, too.

I guess you know you’re a teacher when you can’t even go to a concert without thinking about your classroom. That’s me. As I stood in the crowd singing along, I found myself reflecting on what these performers were doing so well—and how the same principles could apply to student engagement, classroom management, and the kind of classroom environment I want to create as I head into a new back-to-school season.

Whether you’re a new teacher or a seasoned one looking to refresh your teaching strategies, here are five things country concerts reminded me about what it takes to build a star-studded classroom—and a school year students won’t forget.

COME OUT ON FIRE AND ROCK IT FROM OPENING TO CLOSING

Both Dolly Parton and Jason Aldean literally came out to the stage on fire. Dolly graced the stage singing her version of “Girl on Fire,” while Jason Aldean emerged from behind a flaming letter A. The excitement and anticipation of the moment were thrilling, and I was amazed by the attention to detail that the display demonstrated. And, for over two hours, both country crooners belted out their melodies and danced non-stop.

What does this have to do with teaching tips, ideas & strategies? At the concerts, I was captivated by the creativity and excitement of the opening sets, and I believe students like a little flair, too. Even if it’s just a quick video clip, song, or a related image to set the tone, it will amp up the mood of the lesson and create enthusiasm.

Here’s a quick video with a few more hook/starter ideas over on my Instagram page .

It wasn’t just the openings, either, that were so fantastic. Both concerts closed on a positive, personal note. Students need to leave our class feeling the same way; whether it has gone well or as planned or not, finding a way to close on a positive note could make or break the feeling students have when it’s time to return to class tomorrow. Maybe it won’t be fire and lights, but students do appreciate and notice the teachers who show they care.

CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE

Despite the flashy, bright lights, smoke, and the distance from the stage to the seats — all things that would have been really easy for the stars to hide behind — Dolly and Jason both made every attempt to recognize the audience. Dolly even went as far as to tell us several times that she could see us and how much she loved to see that her fans were standing and singing along with her. Jason Aldean often paused to wave at the cheap seats, and once when he spotted a less-than-enthusiastic attendee who apparently had his arms crossed, JA encouraged him to clap along! Of course, everyone knew the words to the songs, and several times throughout the concert, the performers would turn the microphone outward and let the crowd take the lead. They didn’t let that fourth wall stop them, and teachers shouldn’t either.

Students have told me that the teachers who talk to them – not just at them – are the ones whose classes they enjoy the most. Students need to feel a connection. I am reminded of a Toni Morrison quote: “When a child walks in the room, your child or anybody else’s child, do your eyes light up? That’s what they’re looking for.” Proximity isn’t just for discipline, and conversation isn’t just for content.

Further, it’s so easy to get so involved in preparing my lessons to meet certain standards or be so driven to prep for tests that I forget who my audience actually is – real kids. And not only that, but they need to be engaged and involved. I needed to be reminded that there must be a healthy balance between creation and consumption in the classroom. We won’t be there forever to do it for them, nor will students really get the most out of the material if they aren’t engaging with it. They need to be doing as much — or more — as we are. The “real world” is, after all, a hands-on project, and we teachers need to make sure they are getting a taste of that.

TELL STORIES; MAKE IT PERSONAL

Dolly Parton’s music is known for being of a storytelling nature, and so is country music, of course, by definition. The power of a perfectly crafted song that tells a story packs a punch and lasts in the hearts of the audience for a long time, if not forever. We are drawn in by the pathos, and we get attached to the emotional, dramatic, and sensory experience. Not only do the songs themselves often tell a story, but both artists paused to relate the stories behind several of the songs. I once attended a Marcia Tate workshop where she shared specific brain-based teaching tips, ideas, & strategies. Telling stories to make a personal connection made the list because it reaches verbal and auditory learners. I loved hearing the background of the songs and the personal experiences each performer shared. My students are no different. I believe any type of learner would enjoy hearing a personal experience (related to the topic) every now and then — plus it makes the information stick.

SMOKE AND LIGHTS AND GRAPHICS

I don’t know about you, but my classroom is not equipped with any smoke machines, and I only have three rows of harsh fluorescent lighting. Regretfully, I guess I won’t be installing cool smoke and lights anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean that my presentations, worksheets, and other materials have to be dull and boring. A few interesting and inexpensive posters on the walls or a bulletin board to display student work really make a room come alive. Using pictures or age-appropriate art can really make a simple worksheet sing. Many classrooms now have at least a projector, and a lot of classrooms have an interactive whiteboard. It takes a little time to plan and create lessons with a little more visual and interactive jazz, but I always find it so worthwhile. I enjoy it, and so do the students.

Dolly herself once offered this advice: “All you need is a smile and a little sparkle.” Dolly is notorious for “over-doing” it, but making your classroom experience memorable for students doesn’t have to be over the top – a little pizzazz goes a long way.

HAVE TONS OF SCREAMING FANS

Maybe you are smirking a little as you read this one; I did, too, when I thought of it. Oh, how nice it would be to have 20,000 screaming fans wearing shirts with my name and picture and holding “I ❤ Mrs. Faulkner” signs in the air. I’ll keep dreaming. I went to those concerts because I enjoy the music and atmosphere, and I am drawn in each time I hear a familiar song on the radio. In teaching, we often don’t get a ton of compliments or accolades – and no one is making any #1 fan signs for us. Teaching is a difficult profession, and sometimes students/parents don’t appreciate why we do what we do. Every now and then, though, a former student will come back for a visit or send an email or text to let me know how much he/she learned in my class or that they appreciated my teaching style. I am reminded of a quote by Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It is my goal as a teacher to make sure my students feel like superstars.

Conclusion

Even though my boots are back in my closet now, I’ll be waltzing into my classroom each day with my focus on kids and how I can go the extra mile to make learning productive and enjoyable. Thanks, Dolly and Jason, for doing what you do so well that it inspired me to do what I do better. Dolly closed the concert with her most popular song: “I Will Always Love You.” Teachers teach because we love what we do; it certainly is a profession that comes from the heart.

If you want to bring a little music into your classroom, check out these interactive resources:

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Teaching September 11 with Poetry

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:26:44 GMT

Teaching September 11 with Poetry

Over the years I’ve noticed that my students are getting further and further away from knowing what happened on September 11, 2001, and feeling the weight of its magnitude on our nation’s history. I was in college when the towers were struck, and I remember sitting on the bed in my dorm room feeling crushed and scared and praying for every family affected by that senseless act of terrorism. I will never forget how I felt. Now, over a decade later, we are still impacted by choices and decisions made that day. Each September, I try to pause for a quick lesson in honor and remembrance of our freedom in America. Teaching September 11 can be tricky, but with poetry, it is much more manageable and meaningful. Here are 5 reasons why I love using poetry to teach the events of September 11.

COVERING STANDARDS WITH POETRY

One thing I love about poetry is that it packs a big punch. So many standards can be met when teaching just a tiny poem. Theme and use of language are two standards that might be hard to teach with a larger text, but they are much more manageable when examining a poem. Specifically when dealing with tough issues such as the terrorism and loss on September 11, theme is an important discussion — what do we need to learn from this event… from history, so it doesn’t repeat? These are pertinent questions to ask, and they are perfect questions for understanding and inferring theme.

In both of the lessons I’ve linked at the bottom of this post, theme is heavily examined, and because theme is so universal, a poetry study is the perfect type of lesson to make connections across texts as well. In my lesson plan for “ True-Blue American ,” students will explore the idea of entitlement v. gratitude and how that fits into their role as an American. The subtle ironic tone of this lesson will challenge your students to reflect on their own lives and choices. Its ultimate goal is for students to be able to delineate how theme develops and how two different texts can share the same theme. By the time they’ve finished looking at the poem, you’ve met numerous standards in depth. Then, when you add the additional texts and other exercises, you’ve taught even more standards — in a meaningful and authentic way.

CLOSE READING AND ANNOTATING POETRY

I think of close reading as dissecting a text in stages — stepping into the four corners of the text multiple times with different goals each time. First, we read for just the main point or to summarize. ( I use my SWBST strategy . ) We also go ahead and catch any unfamiliar words here, too. I usually play an audio version of the poem for this round, if one is available. I always provide a highlighter and encourage them to make notes in the margin. Next, I have a student volunteer to read it again aloud, and here they looking for deeper meaning, language usage, word choice, and tone. If students have a new purpose each time, I’ve found they are less likely to get “bored” with looking at the same text multiple times. After students have worked individually with the texts, we have a group discussion. To reinforce their ideas and model strong annotating, I will get a blank copy of the text and annotate under my document camera as they discuss and share. In the “True-Blue American” poetry lesson since we were ultimately leading up to comparison, after annotating, I provided them with a thematic Venn diagram on which they recorded their analysis.

Another approach I like to use for annotating is the guided annotations technique. Basically, I give students prompts to point their attention to certain details that they should notice and note. This is a perfect strategy for differentiating for students who are learning to annotate. My “We Grow Accustomed” lesson plan includes guided annotations right on the page. See more information about using guided annotations at this Instagram post .

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B7R0aUDBfiT/?hl=en

COLLABORATING AND DISCUSSING POETRY

Academically productive talk has become a staple in my classroom the past few years. I admit that I was so unwilling to even try it at first, but as a Common Core Coach for my state, I felt highly obligated. Once I began to realize the value in it – students talking about texts and ideas to prepare them for their own individual task, to learn how to express themselves accurately, to form rebuttals purposefully and respectfully – I was sold. When I conducted the “True-Blue American” poetry lesson, I tried something new– the interactive anchor chart. The two forms of text we were comparing were a poem and a video lecture/talk. I wanted to make anchor charts for each type, but I didn’t want to just stand up in the front of class basically writing answers for them. Instead, I formulated 4 questions about each genre and gave them a few minutes to work individually. I’ve written a host of questions for analyzing poetry in task card format that are in printable and digital form. You can grab those here. Second, students collaborated with their shoulder partner about their responses. ( Watch a quick tutorial about shoulder partners here. ) The next step is where the interactive anchor chart comes in. Each group got one sticky note and was assigned to be the expert on one of the questions. They wrote their answer to that one question on their sticky and placed it on the anchor chart in the designated space. To review the answers, I read them out loud and we added and deleted ideas as necessary. This strategy could work with any type of situation where you want students to have notes about a topic and maybe they have some prior knowledge you could activate. Plus, they were doing the work- not me.

MAKING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH POETRY

Some of my students are usually slightly familiar with what happened on 911, but it’s generally pretty foggy. I know that their history teacher is covering the facts, so I don’t usually need to take time to do that. However, I did want to do something and as an ELA teacher, and a thematic approach with textual analysis seemed fitting. While these poetry lessons could work for many other patriotic holidays or just as a stand-alone mini unit, I did it to bring up issues surrounding the events at Ground Zero. Most of the time, we are so focused on skills and objectives, that we forget to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections — and that is where the real magic happens. I like that these lessons allowed us to do that. To close the lessons, then, I give students a creative prompt. In the “True-Blue American” lesson , they designed a flag that illustrated what it means to really be a true-blue American. In the “We Grow Accustomed” lesson , students drew a picture that reflected light and hope. Looking at what they wrote and drew makes me proud to be a teacher in this great country.

Our actions and words affect other people and make this world we live in what it is – for better or worse. Poetry is one tool we have in our teacher toolbox that can allow us to share light and hope with our students while teaching standards as well. I hope that in my classroom I can do a few things that achieve both objectives.

“True-Blue American” Poetry Lesson

“We Grow Accustomed” Poetry Lesson

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Making Learning Interactive: 5 Strategies for the Secondary Classroom

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:10:23 GMT

Making Learning Interactive:

5 Strategies for the Secondary Classroom

Keeping kids engaged and involved is one thing. Keeping teenagers engaged and involved is a whole other issue. However, interaction of
some sort is a staple for just about every day in my classroom to reinforce, review, or revitalize a lesson. Whether it is just a quick conversation with a shoulder partner, a game that requires movement to demonstrate understanding, or a hands-on task, students do
appreciate the opportunity to get out of those straight rows for a few minutes. Here are 5 interactive strategies to engage secondary students!

1. Face-to-Face Discussions

Teenagers love to talk. So, I make use of every opportunity to capitalize on their chatter. From the very first week of school, I model and we practice accountable, academically productive talk. Discussions can come in several forms and fashions. Sometimes we just turn to our “shoulder partner” and share our journal response; other times we move into our “row teams” and discuss a chapter from the novel we are reading. One really fun way to spark discussions is with Rotating Stations. This type of activity would work for many concepts. I like to use it for discussing key or significant moments from a text we are reading. Each station has a quote taped to butcher paper, and then small groups rotate through the stations adding their thoughts and comments to the paper. When time is up, I play a piece of a song, and that’s the signal for the groups to move to new stations in the classroom where they continue their discussion, based on the ideas they encounter from the previous group. Rotations continue every few minutes until each group has been at all of the positions and has had a chance to consider all of the other groups’ comments. Academically productive talk allows students to share ideas, and it ultimately prepares them for an individual assignment, such as a writing task.

2. Virtual Discussions

Teenagers also love texting and social media. We aren’t a full BYOD school or a 1:1, but we do have a policy where teachers can request for students to use their devices in class for an assignment, and we do have a floating class set of iPads. When I can, I like to plan some extra time to host virtual discussions. Two free cool tools I use to host a digital dialogue are Padlet.com and Today’s Meet.com. Padlet has tons of uses, but one fun way is to just pose a question or topic, and then students plug in the unique URL and begin posting their responses. Today’s Meet allows teachers to set up a temporary “room” for discussion. Students join the room and begin texting their ideas. My students give rave reviews about the days we gab with gadgets!

3. Review Skills with Games that Incorporate Movement

Let’s admit that review work isn’t all that glamorous. That is unless it’s interactive! A simple way to bring in a quick review of vocabulary or the previous day’s lesson is with Ball Toss Review. I have a small ball that I toss out to get the game going. If we are reviewing vocabulary, I may say a word and have the student define it. He/she answers it and then tosses to another student. This is also fun for reviewing the previous day’s lesson. One student states something he/she remembers, passes the ball for another student to add an idea, and so
on. Another strategy I use for reviewing key skills is the “humanization” of more traditional classroom activities.

Do you have a sorting activity? Why not make it into human-sorting? Have terms for students to match? Why not have students play it human-matching style? Directions and materials are included in all of my “human sorting and matching” games! Additionally, most all of my literature guides come with a human plot chart activity for review (pictured below)! They are easy to make, and kids love them!

Check out my full catalog of Creative Worksheet Alternatives for ELA !

4. Bring Out Their Inner Child

No matter how old they are, teenagers still love a little cut and paste time! Once upon a time I inherited a whole slew of magazines. I just couldn’t bear to trash all that beautiful authentic text, so it hit me – Collage Bingo! This interactive activity marries a couple of old favorites: cut and paste collage and the scavenger hunt. I love this interactive activity because my students get exposed to a ton of text, we are reviewing key terms, and it is so easy to implement. Collage Bingo is even great for short days or substitutes!

5. Peer Editing

I can’t say enough about the power of a productive peer edit – productive being the key word here! I think where the peer edit breaks down is when students aren’t really sure what they are looking for and aren’t comfortable communicating their suggestions to a friend. What I’ve found to make peer editing actually work is to practice peer editing sample papers from the “File of Papers from the Unknown Students” first. Once we do guided practice, students gain more confidence on how to offer constructive criticism. There are several ways to orchestrate a peer edit from providing students with a checklist, list of questions, or a foldable. To make a simple peer editing foldable, just have students make one “hot-dog” fold. On one side of the fold have students list the strengths. On the other side, have the list the struggles. Voila – an easy-peasy, no-prep peer edit interactive activity! Also, consider having students focus their energies and comments by limiting or suggesting what they look for – grammar, thesis statement, or colorful vocabulary. They don’t have to tackle everything all at once. Hearing and seeing students interact to improve writing just gives me “cold dots,” which is what my six-year old niece calls cold chills!

See more interactive ideas at my newest blog post:

FORMULA FOR CLASSROOM SUCCESS SERIES POST #3: INTERACTIVE AND REAL-WORLD STRATEGIES

I’m linking up with The OCBeach teacher over at her blog. So, head on over for more ways to make learning interactive!

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How to Host Successful Classrooms Discussions

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:24:43 GMT

Classroom Discussion Tips: Strategies & Tools to Engage Students Face-to-Face

If your students are like mine, they’re glued to their screens nearly all the time—scrolling through TikTok-style video clips, captioned selfies, or sending shorthand texts full of emojis I can’t decipher. What they’re missing is real-time, face-to-face communication practice—and that’s where classroom discussions come in.

In this blog post, I’ll share classroom discussion strategies and discussion facilitation techniques that help middle and high school English classes transform passive screen engagement into meaningful, in-person dialog. Over time, I’ve tested every method I could find—some worked, some didn’t, but all taught me the value of having a robust discussion toolkit, structured discussion formats, and a safe classroom culture.

These five powerful methods, anchored in research-backed active learning, are designed to help you confidently host dynamic, inclusive classroom discussions that boost student fluency, listening skills, and critical thinking.

USE QUESTIONS AND/OR DISCUSSION STEMS

Teacher-prepared questions or student-prepared questions can work successfully depending on what level your students are at in the discussion process. I would suggest that if your students are new to discussions, use the teacher-prepared questions approach the first couple of times because that models the right type of questions that students need to be asking about a text to get the most out of the discussion. Using task cards with pre-written questions is a good option. Give each student one or two cards at first, so they aren’t overwhelmed. Build in some time for them to answer before you open to the group, and make yourself available to give feedback individually before the discussion starts. It would be the same process if students were writing their own questions. Having questions and answers prepared ahead of time puts students on the same playing field, so to speak, at least initially. Everybody comes to the discussion with something to say that he/she can feel confident about, and student confidence is a key ingredient in having a successful classroom discussion.

Tools for useful and engaging questions/stems:

Watch my students use the Emoji Puppet Stems in this video:

Another strategy I like to use to prompt comment preparedness is the 3-2-1 strategy. I explain it in this video:

LET THE STUDENTS LEAD CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

It is not always easy to step back as the teacher and wait for students to speak up. We are trained to think that we have to do all the talking or that silence equals a lack of understanding. In some cases, the latter may be true, but most of the time with classroom discussions, students need a minute to formulate an answer before they speak up in front of their peers. Letting the students lead also builds their confidence over time, and they learn how to encourage each other as well. An article on Edutopia entitled “Extending the Silence” suggests at least 15-20 seconds of wait time, especially when students don’t know the answer. The article states, “Not every learner processes thinking at the same speed. Quality should be measured in the content of the answer, not the speediness,” and I wholeheartedly agree. The level of critical thinking and problem-solving required to participate in a meaningful conversation about a text is arguably one of the highest that students might encounter, especially when they know they are going to be required to keep it going. I would suggest only speaking up when you can see that the productive struggle has just become more of a struggle: if the silence goes on for minutes, if there is nothing left to say, if comments begin to repeat, or if the tone shifts. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy your students’ perspectives!

HOLD STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE TEXT IN DISCUSSIONS

I always tell my students that there is a ton of flexibility when it comes to literature. That means that most of the time, their interpretations are acceptable when they can be backed up with line support. However, I do tell them that there are wrong answers. So, when they get out in the weeds or just have a blatantly erroneous reading of a text due to too much speculation, misreading, failure to remember details correctly, etc., we have to stop and go back to the text. Sometimes they will check each other, and other times I need to step in and ask students to take another look at the text. It is necessary to establish text dependency with all classroom discussions about literature from the start. We may reread the passages being discussed. Other times, I might ask for line support. When students are writing answers to their questions from the task cards, for example, always require textual evidence. Otherwise, the purpose can get skewed, and the ultimate purpose of a classroom discussion is two-fold: to teach students to correctly analyze a text and effectively communicate those ideas to others.

Also, when thinking about accountability, grading comes to mind, and grading can be a sticky topic when it comes to discussions. I want my classroom discussions to be organic and free from judgment. I am usually enjoying the moment so much that I don’t like to take notes or make marks on who talked or didn’t. I’ve done that in the past, and I know it works well for some classrooms. I’d rather give a reading quiz or a prompt where students write afterward. Other times, students have done work prior to the discussion to prepare, and I’ll collect that. These days, I’m more in the space where I want to experience the discussion rather than evaluate it from the outside looking in. Plus, I want students to see the value of the discussion beyond the letter grade.

PHYSICAL POSITIONING IN CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS MATTERS

For this one, I’m taking a page from one of my favorite professional development authors/speakers. Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate, suggests, “In order for all members of the classroom to be engaged and learning, both the teacher and the students need to be immersed in their instruction/learning.” Switching up your seating arrangement to a circle where everyone is facing each other sets the stage for better communication practices. Plus, it is something out of the norm and builds excitement. This simple transformation, according to Burgess “provides an uncommon experience for your students and they will reward you with an uncommon effort and attitude.” I want that as a teacher, and I know my students want that, too.

TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS IN CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

Over-eager students and reluctant students will likely be your biggest issues with classroom discussions. I don’t like to force students to speak up, and honestly, sometimes I rely on my more outspoken students at times. In some cases, the quieter students need to see the process modeled for them. They have their questions and answers prepared, but they aren’t comfortable with their own voice. I just give them time and small pushes in the right direction. For your eager students, validate their enthusiasm and gently remind them that you’d like as many voices as possible to be heard. Ask the students who’ve had quite a bit of “airtime” during the discussion to “stick a pin” in their remaining ideas, so that we can come back to them if no one else covers them. That typically doesn’t cause them to shut down, and it reminds other students they need to speak up!

Avoiding a question/answer session is another issue to watch out for when conducting classroom discussions. This happens a lot of times when students are new to discussions, or if students know a quiz will follow. In the latter situation, students are just phishing for what the teacher is looking for and/or guessing what will be on the quiz rather than truly discussing the passage. There’s nothing wrong with giving a quiz after a discussion, but students need to know that the purpose of the discussion isn’t to “review” the material on a basic level. In other cases, it just goes back to pausing and letting the students lead, holding back, and resisting the urge to answer every question that is posed.

Conclusion

The benefits of classroom discussion abound. Students can make text-to-text connections, text-to-self connections, and even text-to-world connections. Check out a few other posts I have regarding my book club procedures: I Don’t Do Literature Circles and Setting Up a Classroom Book Club .

Watch/Listen to a version of this post here (on TPT) and here (on IG).

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Benefits of Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Lessons on Hot Topics in High School English Classes

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:04:56 GMT

Benefits of Nonfiction

Reading Comprehension Lessons on Hot Topics in High School English Classes

According to a Gallup analysis of U.S. Department of Education data, “About 130 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills. This means more than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.” Whether you teach English or not, if you work with students, you’ve seen the urgent need for stronger reading skills.

As an English teacher, I make sure my students read a wide variety of texts, and over the years, I’ve noticed something: many of them actually prefer nonfiction and informational texts over fiction. That insight inspired me to create informational text lessons around hot topics—current events and issues that spark interest, curiosity, and sometimes even a little debate. These lessons not only get students reading, but also thinking critically, engaging with real-world issues, and practicing essential literacy skills. In this post, I’m sharing the many benefits of using hot topics, nonfiction reading comprehension lessons in your classroom—for both students and teachers.

BENEFIT #1: VOCABULARY WORD ACQUISITION

A while back, my mom was reading a book with my (at that time) 7-year-old niece, and my niece came across an unfamiliar word. She stopped to ask my mom what it meant. (I absolutely love that she does that!) My mom turned to her phone to have her “Google it," but her phone’s battery was dead (Thankfully :). No worries, though, because my mom had a dictionary at her house. When she showed it to my niece, my niece said, “What’s this?” My mom, a veteran high school English teacher-turned principal, was shocked. She explained what a dictionary is. They looked up the word, and my niece thought getting to do that was so “cool.”

There are so many takeaways from this story. First, if my niece hadn’t been reading in the first place, she wouldn’t have encountered a new word. Secondly, she stopped to ask what it meant. Students need to be aware of new words, and they need to stop and look at new words and their meanings that pop up inside of texts they read. Nonfiction articles are excellent for this because they are short, and often the words that show up in these types of texts are words students might see again and again. Lastly, there is the scary thought of how dependent we are on technology. At the time, my niece was 7, and she hadn’t seen or heard of a dictionary. That may be because she was too young, but could it be because technology is slowly phasing it out? It’s not a bad thing to search the Internet for a word or concept; we want students to use their resources. But thinking of a world with no books makes me shudder. Either way, words live inside texts and should be explored authentically and organically. Tons of research show that when students acquire words authentically rather than from lists, there is a greater likelihood of them being able to remember the word and use it later since they saw it and learned it in context.

One hands-on activity I do is a “Word Window” foldable for recording words during reading. Just take a sheet of notebook paper and fold it so there are 4 squares – no cutting or pasting needed. The students read the article and find four words they don’t know. I don’t give them the words. They write one word in each square and then look up the definitions in the dictionary. I encourage them to translate the definition into their own words and then go back to the article to see if what they wrote makes sense. Now they have a clearer understanding of the word, as if they have looked through a window, symbolically speaking. All of my Hot Topics Info Text Lessons come with “Word Work,” a sheet with pre-selected words from the article.

BENEFIT #2: INFORMING STUDENTS AND GETTING THEIR ATTENTION WITH RELEVANT MATERIAL

In Part 1 of Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, a timeless commentary on society and anti-intellectualism, Captain Beatty rants, “Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so […] full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving.” This is where the majority of our students are today. With non-stop videos from TikTok and an abundance of armchair experts posting on YouTube daily, “information” is everywhere. I often wonder, though, how censored — and correct — is that info? It doesn’t seem that way, but it also doesn’t seem varied (unbiased) or rigorous to digest. It is imperative that we present students with unbiased, varied literature that allows (teaches) them to gather and truly dissect and digest information. The hot topics approach grabs their attention with topics they care about, but the texts I choose (in my no prep, hot topics lessons ) are also relevant to their lives — topics about which they need to be adequately and correctly informed.

Teach AP Language and Composition? These lessons offer a variety of benefits:

Ideal for building essential skills for Question 3 (Open Argument).
Meaningful practice with multiple-choice comprehension and synthesis passages.
Several lessons include “Thinking Like a Writer” questions that develop students’ understanding of rhetorical style and analysis

BENEFIT #3: SPARKING CRITICAL THINKING & INVITING STUDENT VOICE

The faculty at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defines critical thinking as “a set of information and beliefs, generating and processing skills, and the habit of using those skills to guide behavior.” When students are reading, I want them to demonstrate those behaviors. How do we get students to do that? One way is to have them engage with a text multiple times, and I like to do that by having them read once while thinking like a reader, and then again, by having them think like a writer. This allows students to see the text from multiple angles – angles with which they would be required to engage at some point or another. It's also the perfect exercise for AP Language students studying rhetorical analysis.

Beyond the sets of premade questions, students can explore deeper layers by asking their own questions. These aren’t just any questions; they are questions that go beyond the surface – beyond the black and white – questions that raise more questions.

A couple of question stems that might get students started might be:

Why did the author say…
I wonder how it might be different if…
How is this idea different than…
How is this idea the same as…
What is the underlying issue of…
What could be another solution…
Could there be other causes or effects…
How did the author know…

The articles I chose are all hot topics. Sometimes, both sides are presented, but other times, they lean one way. In either case, I have students prepare to take a side in writing. When there’s time, I host a debate. This is also an excellent time to review and prepare claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals. ( See how I teach that in this free video. ) Debating is an excellent way to practice speaking, listening, and citing evidence. Read more about Hosting Successful Class Discussions at this post. The important part to remember is that these debates will be textually informed and welcoming to both sides.

You also grab pre-made task cards with question stems that work with any text you find!

BENEFIT #4: BENEFITING A WIDE RANGE OF AUDIENCES AND PURPOSES

One of the biggest advantages of using hot topics reading comprehension lessons is how flexible they are. These lessons aren’t just for one setting—they serve a wide range of purposes and audiences. Teachers can use them for RTI and intervention, where students need scaffolded practice with core literacy skills, or as sub plans that are ready-to-go and still meaningful. They also work well as a weekly article study routine, homework assignments, or even quick bell ringers that spark discussion. Because the texts and prompts encourage analysis and critical thinking, they’re also an excellent fit for test prep and AP Lang practice, where students must evaluate arguments, rhetorical strategies, and real-world issues. Whether used in small groups, independent practice, or whole-class discussions, these lessons adapt easily and meet students where they are.

BENEFIT #5: COVERING NUMEROUS STANDARDS

Summarizing – Identifying the central idea and its development throughout is a critical step of fully understanding a text. I teach students to use the Somebody – Wanted– But – So – Then method of summarizing. Once students have this strategy down, they can begin to see how it functions on a fundamental level to arrive at a central idea.
Writing Prompts – I always look for ways for students to write about what they read. All of my Hot Topics Lessons include at least one prompt, if not multiple in various modes.
Research – Many nonfiction texts or informational text articles you might find lend themselves really well for further investigation. If you don’t have time to conduct research in class, consider using the research tasks included with my Hot Topics Lessons with your advanced learners for differentiation.

Conclusion

Beyond the benefits of using hot topics info text lessons in class for students, they benefit you — the teacher — too! Short nonfiction texts lessons are perfect when I have a crazy day schedule, or if I’m in between units. And don’t forget – they make amazing sub plans!

At the end of the day, the literacy crisis we’re facing won’t be solved with quick fixes, but every intentional choice we make as teachers can move the needle. By bringing hot topics and high-interest nonfiction reading comprehension passages into our middle and high school English classrooms , we not only build the critical comprehension skills our students desperately need but also show them that reading is relevant, engaging, and worth their time. Whether you use these lessons for intervention, enrichment, or simply to spark conversation, they give students the tools to think deeply about the world around them—and that’s the kind of reading that lasts.

BEYOND THE BLOG:

See how these lessons continue to be relevant with links to breaking news at this Instagram Highlight.

See and hear me explain these points over on Instagram.

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Everything You Need to Know About Teaching With Movies

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:28:51 GMT

Everything You Need to Know

About Teaching With Movies

Showing movies in class might be controversial. However, I think they can be very effective when done with purpose. Some strategies would work with any type of film, and some would work well with a major motion picture or documentary. What’s best is that most of these activities with movies can be done with NO PREP and at a moment’s notice. Here’s everything you need to know about teaching with movies.

USE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS TO TEACH MOVIES

My Antiques Show and Tell Research Presentation was inspired by my love of picking and The History Channel’s American Pickers. To kick off the unit, I show a portion of an episode in class so students can see how Mike and Frank research the personal and historical stories of the artifacts they find. Since that was my goal for the lesson, I included those questions in the graphic organizer. Once when doing this project, my assistant principal came in, I was able to tell him what the students were working on and he glanced at one student’s paper while he stayed to evaluate me.

If you have some time to prep before showing a film, a graphic organizer is a really good way to engage students and guide their focus on a few key points and skills while they watch. This strategy keeps students on task during the viewing but can be concise enough with only a view questions so that they actually get to enjoy the film as well. They are also perfect pacing guides, so you could pause and discuss a particular point during viewing if needed. A graphic organizer can be used for a movie or documentary.

Check out my ready-to-go movie guides catalog for a variety of films- NO PREP!

PAUSE TO SUMMARIZE WHEN TEACHING WITH MOVIES

Summarizing is a classic strategy for quickly assessing students’ understanding and reactions to a film. Just press pause and have students write a quick summary of the main details until you stop the film. I like to use the SWBST strategy , and I keep blank templates handy. Another way to jazz up pausing to summarize, especially if you have an unexpected visitor, would be to give each student an index card or sticky note to write their summaries on. Extend the activity for movies by having them flip the card over and predict what they think will happen next. You can collect them and read a few aloud and discuss their accuracy when the movie is over. My movies worksheet bundle also has a super cute SWBST worksheet, too.

TRY FOUR-SQUARE FACTS WHEN TEACHING WITH MOVIES

This interactive activity to use while teaching with movies would work very well for a documentary or tutorial. Students fold their paper into 4 sections. I have students write three facts from the film – one per square. They must elaborate on each fact in the square. Then students move with a partner to share their ideas and gain one more. By the end of the quick and easy activity, they have reviewed and should have four facts on their paper. This activity would work best to stop halfway through the movie or at the end. The foldable would look exactly like this one does – from my previous post .

CONDUCT A 3-2-1 CHECK POINT WHEN TEACHING WITH MOVIES

An excellent check for understanding is the 3-2-1 strategy. To make this a little more interactive, I have students fold their paper into three sections, horizontally. You can have students do this before the movie begins, during, or at the end. I have students write 3 new facts, 2 questions they still have, and 1 part they enjoyed. You can certainly modify the elements of the 3-2-1 to focus on particular content questions or for other purposes you may have. For example, when my students watch the Salem Witch Trials Documentary during our Crucible unit, I don’t give them a set of questions to record or a fill-in-the-blank sheet to do as we watch. Instead, I have them write: 1 thing you learned that helps you better understand The Crucible; 2 facts about “witches”; 3 facts about the Salem Witch Trials. We always spend time discussing afterward to make sure everyone has the crucial information, but I like giving them the chance to draw it out on their own. You can also hear me talk about this strategy on IG here.

This 3-2-1 checkpoint strategy works well for any subject you would want to show a movie for, too.

TeachYearbook/Journalism/Newspaper/Photography? Check out my FREE list of related movies.

COMPARE & CONTRAST WHEN TEACHING WITH MOVIES

Comparing and contrasting is a very important skill and most state writing exams, EOCs, and even the ACT, so I try to incorporate as much of it as I can. If you are showing a major motion picture with fictional characters, compare/contrast works very well. Have students make a vertical fold to divide the paper in half (a hot dog fold). On the left side they will write “Protagonist,” and on the right side they write “Antagonist.” In each column, they must write at least five traits about each character. You can also have students compare/contrast a book and its movie. This activity can be done at the beginning of the film or during viewing quickly and easily.

In closing, movies are an excellent way to engage students any time of year, but you can take it to the next level with these simple and easy ideas. If you are planning for a substitute, again a movie is a good choice for a sub plan, and any of these choices could be left with a sub and would do an excellent job of keeping kids on track.

See a video of this blog post here.

DON’T SEE A TITLE THAT FITS INTO YOUR CURRICULUM? CHECK OUT MY PRINTABLE AND DIGITAL WORKSHEETS FOR ANY MOVIE ANALYSIS.

Classroom success stories from other teachers who have used this resource:

“I have used these worksheets in film clubs and book-to-film comparison lessons, and they are a great resource. Nice solid questions to get the discussions going.” — Angelia D.

“I have been using these for extra credit opportunities and I’m impressed with the content of them. They require a bit more attention from the students than other forms I’ve used and I really like that! Thanks for a great product!” — Sheri J.

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5 Ways to Keep Students Tuned-In at the End-of-the-Year

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:10:11 GMT

5 Ways to Keep Students

Tuned-In at the End-of-the-Year

It’s getting to be that time of year when things get a little crazy – a little sideways. Students – and teachers – are starting to tune out! So hopefully, these ideas will make these end-of-year days less stressful, and more fun. Plus, these 5 ways to keep students tuned-in at the end-of-the-year are all student-centered and standards-based, so the kiddos stay engaged, and your job is easy. Join me for a fun recap of 5 ways to keep students tuned-in this time of year. Perfect for any secondary education classroom.

1. MAKE IT REAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR

When the CCSS started to roll out and there was so much emphasis placed on nonfiction, I’ll be honest – like many other “old English teachers” – I was nervous about giving up so much class time to those texts over my beloved classic fiction texts. Now, I love finding nonfiction texts that stand alone and/or that pair with my fiction. And, honestly, the kids LOVE it when they know it’s real. Students really “tune-in” with nonfiction because sometimes it’s so hard to believe that it is actually real! Sometimes I have them go searching on their own for real information – like in my mini research project on banned books in my Fahrenheit unit . Or other times, I’ll pair the info for them and have them dig into the material in class like in my lesson on the LeRoy HS outbreak after we read Act 1 of The Crucible . Also, take a look at several bundles of hot topics informational text lessons I have ready-to-go . Whether you teach English or not, finding ways to bring in the “real-world” aspect of your subject matter really gives your topic purpose, and I find students are much more likely to buy-in.

2. MAKE IT PERSONAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR

We all know that secondary students can be ah hem… self-centered. (Bless) So anytime they get to talk about themselves, there’s interest. When my seniors read Fahrenheit 451, they do a generational Interview project as part of their reading tasks for the last section of my Fahrenheit unit . They – and their grandparents – really enjoy the project and the students learn so much about their families and themselves. Another way to make it personal and keep kids tuned in is with poetry that speaks to them. In my treating senioritis poetry pack , I’ve selected several poems that draw on students’ personal experiences and the follow up activities ask students to reflect on their past, present, and future. Another teacher shared this classroom success story about my poetry pack: “With less than a month left for the Seniors, they are losing their focus in class quickly. These are great assignments that keep them engaged and challenge them to keep at it. This is also great for Poetry Month (April). My student’s actual poems (from the extension activities) are being published in our campus newsletter to celebrate it.” Anything you can do as part of a lesson or short research project that allows students to make connections with their own lives will add a layer of interest they won’t be able to resist.

3. MAKE IT INTERACTIVE AT THE END OF THE YEAR

I have to admit that I’d never used puppets in the classroom before with high school students, but now that I have, I can’t stop. I also have to admit that it was partly my students’ idea to conduct the first puppet show I ever conducted. When my seniors read The Canterbury Tales , I had made little cards with the characters on them. I wanted each student to read and research about that character to share with the class. One student was holding up her card and thought she was being funny when she said, “We should do this as a puppet show.” I said, “Actually, that’s a great idea. Yes, we should.” That night I glued Popsicle sticks on the cards and borrowed a puppet curtain my mom had made for my nieces. Voila! The next day we had a puppet show! After that, I let my emoji addiction get a little more out of control, and I made emoji puppets for accountable talk, review, point of view, and more! See my Facebook post about them . If you don’t have puppets for your class, then just consider what topic you teach that students to re-enact or role play. For an extra layer of rigor, have the students write the scripts, too!

Escape games are super hot right now, too, and you can find them in just about any subject and grade level. The end of the year is the perfect time to give one a try for review or just for fun. I’ve made full-length games for some favorite stories I teach, and I recently started to make mini escape games that last 30 minutes! All of my games are designed so that you can use a physical lock box that you buy premade or make yourself or digitally with Google. I love using the physical lock box for students, and I’ve created this quick video tutorial just in case you’ve wanted to try it, but have been a little apprehensive about it. When I conduct an escape game in class, I have 100% participation and engagement. It doesn’t get more tuned-in than that!

4. MAKE IT PROJECT-BASED AT THE END OF THE YEAR

Projects don’t have to be a lot of work for you. Nor should they be a lot of work to prep. One year I wanted something new and fun for Earth Day, so I rummaged through my junk drawers at the house and had students create uses for the various items. The skills we covered? Propaganda, Info-Text Analysis; Speaking and Listening, Presenting. That project is for sale here ! This time of year, my yearbook students also work on projects to keep them busy until the books come back. They would be excellent for a yearbook class, business, art, or technology class. I’ve also successfully done short research projects, and I have a ton of those available as well on a variety of topics.

5. MAKE IT A MOVIE DAY AT THE END OF THE YEAR

Let’s be real for a minute. We can’t always show a movie, but if we are talking about getting tuned in, well, we can’t ignore the obvious. If you missed my post about how to incorporate media effectively, click here to go check that out. I will say that my seniors are going to be watching The Hunger Games next week. Why in the world, right? It was their idea – and it wasn’t because they just wanted to watch it randomly. In fact, they’ve been asking me all along our 451 unit if there’s a sequel to Bradbury’s magnum opus. (Can we pause to just say how awesome it is that they want to read MORE 451?!?!?) Then one day, it dawned on a student that there was quite a bit of intertextuality between 451 and THG. I had noticed the parallels before because I love THG! He made a pretty good case for it, so I thought this would be a fun way to end the unit. They’ll have to write something showing those parallels, of course. Plus, I’ve got you covered for tons of movies with ready-made, standards-based movies guides. All you need to do is get the DVD and press play . Click over to my other blog post, as well, with more Tips for Teaching with Movies.

Here’s to a great rest of the year. Comment below with ways you successfully keep students tuned-in at the end-of-the-year.

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Everything You Need to Know About Meeting Yearbook Deadlines

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 15:43:01 GMT

Everything You Need to Know About

Meeting Yearbook Deadlines

One of the most daunting tasks of being a yearbook adviser is meeting deadlines. However, it is super important — always being front of mind. In fact, when I discuss the top five things a new yearbook adviser needs to do , finding out those deadlines makes the cut. Honestly, you can’t share the book with the world if you don’t meet the print deadlines! Making deadlines, though, is certainly more than just knowing when the deadlines are. It’s a process, and one that must be started on week one, or before. In this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know about meeting yearbook deadlines with my no-fail, step-by-step process!

1. SET BIG AND LITTLE YEARBOOK DEADLINES DURING THE FIRST WEEK

After you close your current year’s book, set up a date to meet with your publisher to determine dates for the upcoming year’s publication. It is really never too early to set deadlines. They are that big of a deal. Everything in the production of a yearbook hinges on meeting deadlines. Once you’ve decided if you are a spring, summer, or fall delivery book along with how many pages your book is, your publisher can tell you how many deadlines you will have throughout the year and how many pages per deadline you will need to submit. I take those deadlines and break them up even more for my staff. We have checkpoints along the way to each deadline with rubrics ( included in my full yearbook curriculum ), so that we never get to the last minute and have pages that aren’t done waiting on final proofs. For example, if the publisher says the hard deadline is Nov 20, then I might have two deadlines prior: Pre-Check on Nov 1; Mid-Check on Nov 10; and Final Check on Nov 18.

These mini deadlines are so important. I tell the students, “In the yearbook process, you can’t be in creation mode right up to the deadline. You have to leave time for proofing and revising.” If you don’t build in time for multiple checks, in my experience, you miss so much that could have been caught and corrected. Plus, deadlines offer a plan, and without a plan, a plethora of problems ensue. Creating a yearbook is hard enough without making it harder because you aren’t working with specific goals in mind.

2. PHOTO DATES AND AD COLLECTIONS NEED TO HAPPEN EARLY

The portrait pages and advertisement pages are two staple sections of a yearbook. Some may not have an advertisement section, but if you do, that section is usually at the end of the book; therefore, it is an easy first deadline because submitting pages at the end of the book first is safe as it won’t lock down other pages in the book that need to be more fluid throughout the creative process. Also, for a high school book especially, there are usually anywhere from 30-50 pages of business advertisements and senior tribute pages. That is typically enough to meet a publisher’s first deadline. If you are able to use your ad pages for your first deadline, that means you’ll need to assign business ads to staffers and advertise for senior tributes to families starting the first week of school. Another benefit of having students work on business ads first is that they are learning your company’s software, and it gives flexibility for you to teach crucial skills like photography and interviewing before the year really kicks off to full start.

The other section of the yearbook that can be simple to design and submit is the portrait section. However, deadlines are tricky with this section because you are likely depending on an outside photography company to take the photos, do make ups, and then get them to you. Also, you often have to send the yearbook-specific files (yes, that’s a thing) to your publisher. That’s an added step and more time you have to plan for. Again, in May or during the summer at the latest, you need to get your photo dates on the calendar. That will include multiple people in addition to the company and you: admin, counselors, coaches, and club sponsors. Consider these appointments, and schedule them within the first two (three at the latest) months of school:

Senior Pictures
Underclassmen Fall Pictures
Senior Retake/Make Ups
Underclassmen Retake/Make Ups
Senior Cap/Gown
Sports Groups and Individual (if your company does this) for fall and spring
Superlatives
Club Group Photos

3. SET UP THE LADDER AND ASSIGN PAGES EARLY

First, a ladder is the list of pages your book will have and what will be on each page. You can build a ladder on a poster, piece of paper, shared Google sheet, or with sticky notes. Tools to make a ladder are included in my full Yearbook Curriculum . However you build the ladder, it is imperative that you do so early and communicate it out to students.

The next step after getting the ladder as set as possible is to assign students their “beats.” Beat reporting is specialized reporting in a specific area, topic or subject. Below is an example of a handout that I use to assign the pages and sections. This one is for a book organized by sections, but if your book is chronological, you could tweak it enough to compensate for that. Assigning students their “beats” early prevents any “sneak up” moments when an event happens but doesn’t get the coverage it needs. This also helps staffers plan their own calendars, as yearbook students are often involved and busy outside of yearbook class.

It’s not always possible to foresee and plan every event, sports game, classroom experiment, etc; however, you can prevent a lot of stress and oversight by planning up front. With meeting yearbook deadlines, that’s the name of the game.

4. DEVELOP A PROCESS FOR PROOFING YEARBOOK PAGES

Since I am also an English teacher, proofing and revising is in my wheelhouse. However, there are a quite a few more moving parts in meeting a yearbook deadline with 40-something pages with captions, photos, tags, graphic elements, etc. than there are in a typical 1,000 word paper. That said, students also need an easy and effective process. I share my process in this Instagram video :

5. LEAVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME FOR FINAL SUBMISSION

Did you notice above in my deadline dates example that I don’t give students the final deadline as the publisher’s hard deadline? It is critical to leave yourself, as the adviser, time to make the final submissions. By the time we’ve gotten to the final deadline, I’ve seen the pages multiple times, but that doesn’t mean that the pages are perfect, unfortunately. I like to have one final look before I hit the submit button. Also, turning pages into the publisher on your software/website is likely not a one-click process either. In the Jostens program that we use, it is actually about three steps before you actually release the pages. That takes time. Several hours, in fact. Therefore, it’s basically impossible to meet the yearbook deadline (especially a hard deadline) if you allow your students to work on pages in creation mode until 3 pm. You’ll be proofing, spell-checking, replacing pictures, adding captions, and anything else your publisher’s software requires before you are done — and with 40+ pages for your deadline, midnight approaches quickly. Being a yearbook adviser is stressful enough without the added stress of not planning ahead to have extra days for submitting pages on final deadline days. Been there. Done that. And it isn’t fun, but more importantly, it doesn’t have to be that way. The old adage, “Work Smarter – Not Harder” most definitely applies to meeting those yearbook deadlines!

If you are a new yearbook adviser, check out my blog post here: Tips for New Yearbook Advisers. I also have a video for tips for getting your yearbook going over on my Facebook page. You can also get more great tips, freebies, and access to webinars for yearbook/journalism by joining my Yearbook Advisers Facebook Group. It’s free to join!

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Benefits of Using Task Cards in Middle & High School

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:20:00 GMT

Benefits of Using Task Cards

in Middle & High School

Using task cards in middle and high school can be hugely successful. Interestingly, I was using “task cards” in my high school English class before I knew they were called that – and way before they looked so cute! If I needed to guide a particular group on a topic or break up the assignment, I would often just grab some colored index cards and a sharpie and begin assigning the tasks, differentiating, or reviewing! Now with the wonderful world of technology �� and access to tons of programs, task cards can come in any form or fashion. Here are 5 ways and reasons to use the task cards strategy at the middle and high school level.

1. Differentiation and Scaffolding

Task cards offer teachers and students many benefits. Teachers need easy, but effective ways to meet the needs of all students who come to the table with all different ability levels. Task cards can easily be used to tailor instruction and reinforcement to those needs.

–You choose who gets which card, and that can be done without the students’ knowledge of that choice. All of my response to text task cards are written in two levels and are clearly labeled in the file. Pictured below are two examples from my poetry and speech task cards. If you head over to my TeachersPayTeachers store, you’ll be able to get a couple of these free in the preview file.

– One directive per card helps students focus.

–If students or groups of students are working through a set of cards, they set their own pacing. Here different groups of students are analyzing poetry, but one group only has one card, while the other group has two cards.

–Some cards can have suggested answers or clues, while others are more open-ended.

–Some students or groups can be assigned one or more depending on their needs.

– Task cards just by their nature provide individualized instruction and scaffolding because they allow for effective chunking of material.

For example, when I teach writing, we use task cards to guide analysis of model papers during the pre-writing process and task cards to provide directives for revision and editing during the phases of the writing process.

2. Discussion & Collaboration

Classroom discussion is very important for classroom culture but also for understanding. I believe students need to read about it, talk about it, and then write about it. Task cards provide a direct focus for talk topics where needed.

–Students can see cards first to prepare individually before small or whole group discussion.

–Guides whole group discussion. Take a look at these fun Emoji Accountable Talk Stem Puppets They offer a accountable talk stems for students to respond to or use during discussions.

– Can require students to produce a larger product together. For example, if you want students to write a paragraph, give each group a task to complete a certain section of the paragraph. When they put their work together, they have a complete product.

– Can even be used with large class sizes. See how I make it work:

On Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/juliesclassroomstories/videos/1657893880971128/

On Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCzzvD6xxjt/

On TPT @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-To-Conducing-StationsStation-Rotations-for-Any-Class-Video-for-Teachers-12594307

3. Games and Review

Play traditional games (board games, card games, beach ball toss, etc.) with task cards for your subject. Below students are reviewing ELA vocabulary using vocabulary cards from my 100 words every high school English student should know pack in order to move their pieces around a game board I whipped up for fun. Give each group a set of task cards, and in order to take a turn, each student had to answer a question on one of the cards. The rest of the group had to agree with the answer before they could move on. Groups or students could also have a recording sheet that they turn in or use as a study guide.

4. Gallery Walks, Scavenger Hunts, Quests. and Stations

Lessons that involve movement can sometimes be overwhelming to create and produce, but for Kinesthetic students, especially, movement enhances learning. Pretty much any student, though, enjoys the opportunity to move around during class. Task cards make these types of activities much more attainable because they are easier to create and/or manage.

–Cards are posted around the room/hall for a gallery walk. Never tried a gallery walk? Want some fresh tips? Click over to take a look at this FREE video tutorial where I explain how to set up and manage gallery walks.

–Assign students certain numbers to complete or do them all.

–Set time limits.

–Students record answers on sheets.

– Use them in stations or centers. Here’s a quick video where I explain how I developed impromptu centers using my poetry task cards in station rotations. Get the FREE poetry recording sheet here. Click over to a video where I explain my poetry task cards more in depth. https://www.facebook.com/juliesclassroomstories/videos/1330997943660725/

– Add QR codes for a self-checking function or to add a quick video tutorial.

— If you want some ready-made station labels to get going with task cards in your classroom, check out my station rotation kit with five fun designs.

5. Going green with task cards

The trend is certainly moving toward more technology in the classroom that is student-centered. Task cards offer so many opportunities for teachers to convey both lesson content, practice, and assessment because they are so flexible.

– 1:1 schools

– via Google Slides or Google Classroom in the lab, group device, or on their own devices. All of my response to text task cards are now available in Google Slides format. You can get them here.

-Nearpod student led or in homework mode.

-Classflow with student response systems or on their own devices

-Kahoot for whole class review and gaming. I love putting my Real-World Grammar Fails Task Cards in Kahoot to use at bell ringers or fun test-prep review! They come in large pdf and large jpeg mode for easy uploading in this format, so there’s no extra work for you. See more about my experience with Kahoot at this post!

– Single iPad used via Apple TV, Smart TV, or Boxlight to share task card work. Below students were correcting sentences with some grammar task cards. In order to share with the class, I used the mirror feature on my iPad with my Apple TV, so the entire class could see the original sentence from the task card as each group explained the corrections that needed to be made.

Task cards in station rotation provide so many benefits. Plus, they are super flexible, so they can provide a classroom success story for any situation!

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Collecting Data in the Classroom: a Student-Directed Data Program for Middle & High School

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 19:50:43 GMT

Student-Directed Data Tracking: How to Collect and Use Data in the Classroom

Collecting data in the classroom can feel overwhelming. Setting up a meaningful, student-driven data program often seems like more work than it’s worth—especially when traditional data folders end up collecting dust. But what if your data collection could truly drive student learning and inform your instruction?

For years, I’ve used a student-directed data program in my middle and high school classes, with tremendous success. It started with a simple chart—students coloring in their essay scores—but has since evolved into a core part of my teaching strategy. Now, collecting data is a seamless process that empowers students to take ownership of their progress and gives me the insights I need to guide instruction.

1. SETTING UP A STUDENT-CENTERED DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM

It does take a few inexpensive supplies and some space planning to get up and running. Just like any other busy secondary teacher with 75-150 kids a day, I know it can’t require much or it just becomes overwhelming. You’ll need:

A pocket folder with brads for each student. I reuse mine each year, and each class has its own designated color. I bought my folders over 5 years ago at Staples for a penny each!
Address labels
A storage spot in your room for the folders. My students don’t take them home.
Copies of the data charts you plan to use. My students chart grammar quiz scores from my weekly quizzes, writing scores, and weekly assignments.
A space on your wall to display each class’s data story.

*Of course, you can also have students keep up with their own charts as well.

2. COLLECTING DATA IN THE CLASSROOM

Teachers are continually making and administering assessments, evaluating students, and planning lessons. We evaluate how the students are performing, look at how well the material being used is accepted by the students, and are interested in how our teaching style works in the classroom. Data can be collected for whatever your students will be working on throughout the year in your classroom where growth can be achieved (or is desired): quizzes, observations, exams, essay, projects, etc. For me, that’s my grammar quizzes , essays , short writing tasks, and vocabulary pre tests and posts tests . Of course, if your students take benchmarks or something of that nature, those scores could be charted as well.

Also, data isn’t always a number. Before we even start collecting numerical data from student work, I want my students to evaluate their strengths and struggles and set goals. Then, we revisit that at the end of the year. Another form of “data” that I collect weekly is “notes from our week.” Students pause and write down on their calendar what we did each day. It speaks volumes to me when I see what they can and can’t remember. They are also always very honest, which I appreciate. This part of the process gives them a voice, and they feel valued. I have to swallow hard sometimes at what they say about the week, but I’m here to teach in a way they need (and maybe…sometimes want).

3. MANAGING THE DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM

In order for student-centered data collection to be successful, it has to be embedded into the routine and visited often. My students take weekly grammar quizzes on Friday, and we do our “Notes from the Week” each Friday. When students come to class on that day, they know to get their portfolios off the shelf. Once the starter quiz is over, they are automatically charting and making notes on their strengths and struggles. And, if I’m late getting the class averages up – yep – they remind me! The level of accountability and ownership is there because they see value in the process of collecting data in the classroom.

4. USING DATA

It would be really easy to make all the copies, have students chart their scores and call it day. However, there truly can be benefit in an active, student-centered data program. Every time my students chart a score, they must reflect on what they did well and what they struggled with right there beside the score. I like to see them going beyond the number. Growth is measured in numbers in this educational system, but it’s through thoughtful reflection and honest assessment of what’s going on behind the scenes that the true improvements are fostered. Other times, I will have them look back on a particularly low score and revisit that assignment to make changes and revisions. Another strategy for using the charts is having students summarize their trends. Hopefully, over the course of the year, students are improving, so stopping to summarize those trends will boost confidence.

5. CELEBRATING DATA

I choose one of the sets of data that all my classes have in common to post on the class data story board. It’s not individual scores but a class average. We can work toward common goals. Students feel connected and responsible to the class for the average, but no one person is singled out. A little friendly competition with some prizes or bragging rights up for grabs never hurts, either! It’s helpful here to set some short-term and long-term goals to keep the kids on track. Another successful way to use the pieces of this data program is for student-directed conferencing. When parents come in, students have their portfolios prepped and ready to showcase their work and growth in the class.

In Conclusion

I have used these charts and reflection techniques for years for collecting data in the classroom, and I do believe it is has been one of the best practices I have ever done to inform instruction and learning. No matter what age or academic level of the student, time spent reflecting on learning and growth can be incredibly powerful. I like this system because I use it to collect and chart authentic data from inside the classroom.

What does your data say? Grab my easy-to-implement data program here. It’s now available in printable and digital (Google) format.

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Formula For Classroom Success Series Post #5: Planning

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:44:45 GMT

Formula For Classroom Success

Series Post #5 Planning

I’ve mentioned several times before here on the blog that planning is one of my favorite parts of teaching. I truly do believe, though, that without a plan – good or great – you just aren’t going to have the same success as you would without one at all. Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up some place else.” That kind of lack of direction creates confusion and frustration for teachers and students. Here a couple of things I keep in mind when I plan.

1. Backward Planning

Start with the end in mind. In my opinion, that doesn’t just mean start thinking about the fun project that you’ll have your students complete at the end of the unit. The end can be a fun project, but the backwards planning model means putting the skills, knowledge, and concepts students will learn first, then the product second. Backward planning allows you to see what you really need to accomplish with a task, unit, or assignment. And mostly importantly – for me, anyway – it helps me know where I’m going in the grand scheme of the year so I know I cover everything and do everything with a purpose. So, how do it do it? I basically start with my standards, and since I teach high school English, I look specifically at the writing standards first. Organizing my units by a specific writing mode – rather than chronologically like the textbook – allows me to choose model texts and/or texts that lend themselves to writing for that mode. Along the way, I teach the texts as a vehicle for that end product rather than just teaching the texts in isolation. I want the students to be able to transfer the skills we learn from each text and within each unit to other texts and tasks throughout the year.

2. Drill down to monthly, weekly, and daily planning

Once I have my high level plan in place, I drill down to my monthly, weekly, and daily planning. This is where my cute, little planner comes into play. I’ve tried just about every type of planner available but was just never satisfied. A couple years ago, I sat down and just decided to make my own – a planner for a secondary teacher with three preps. Just a planner for my planning with lots of space . It worked out very well, and each year I’ve created a fun, new design. This year’s design is Nautical with beautiful watercolor and gold graphics! So, how do I use it? At the beginning of each semester, I pull out the monthly overview pages, and I sketch out what I hope to accomplish that month based off my high level map. There are usually lots of changes, scribbles, and eraser dust all over the page before I get finished. It’s a fluid document throughout the entire month and year. Also, I can fill in any holidays, scheduled special events, etc. in the month overview to eliminate as many surprises as possible. For weekly planning, I use the weekly pages and jot out my main ideas and topics. That’s the sheet I turn into admin. Finally, for daily planning, well that’s very specific, and it’s what you get with every lesson in my TpT store – a formal teacher’s guide complete with essential questions, CCSS, suggestions for the “I do, we do, you do” model, differentiation ideas, extension, and more. It’s a process, but having all this written down allows me to reflect and evaluate when the year is over in order to be more successful next year.

3. Logistically planning

When thinking about the day-to-day lessons, there are many things to consider that could prevent or promote classroom success: number of students, capability of students, class time, time of year, class space, technology availability, and more. You can’t think of everything, certainly, but having an awareness of these can help set you on the right track.

4. Options and Backup Plans

I was teaching theme development ( lesson here ) one day and was ready to play the audio of the song that I use to model the strategy, when in walks the principal for a pop eval. I looked
around for my iPod where I had the song stored, only to realize that I had left it in my car. Now, thankfully, we have access to the Internet and youtube.com in each classroom. But I still wasn’t ready for a seamless transition – there goes a few points. I was panicking in my head, but I was able to stall a little by having the students pause and review/summarize what we’d already done in class while I pulled up the song – points recovered. Thankfully, the song was available, and it played with no problems. The principal was even singing along! He never knew that wasn’t the plan; however, it doesn’t always go that way. I’ve had bulbs go out in my projector and have to get a neighbor to watch my class while I rushed to the copy room, or forget to make the handout and students have to copy it all down, which slowed my lesson down. There are numerous things that can wrong, and since don’t have a crystal ball, it’s hard to predict them all. However, a Plan B or C when possible is not a bad idea.

5. Brain-based Strategies for All learning Styles

I am a huge fan of Marcia Tate, and I was fortunate enough to hear her speak several years ago when I was still young in my teaching career. She has tons of amazing ideas, advice, and resources, but the thing that has stuck with me the most over the years is her list of 20 brain-based strategies. I keep this list in my planner, and try to include as many each week as I can. It’s not feasible to do them all every single day or each week in some cases, but the goal of using as many as I can helps keep my class fresh and engaging for all learning styles as often as possible. I like her list because it’s simple and doable, and we all know busy teachers need simple and doable.

Here is a video where Marcia shares and explains some of her strategies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CedEizNg9mc

This is the end of my series on strategies for having your own classroom success story! I hope that I’ve been able to provide some insightful tips and practical ideas that you can use in your classroom, and if you have ideas to add, please share them in the comments below!

See MORE classroom decor and organizational pics at these posts, too!

Student-Centered Bulletin Boards
Vintage Classroom Decor

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Setting Up a Classroom Book Club Meeting

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:29:16 GMT

Setting Up a Classroom Book Club Meeting

You may have read my “Why I don’t do literature circles and what I do instead” post , and now you want to try my classroom book clubs method. But you have some questions: What does it look like inside a “book club” meeting? What types of activities do you do? What questions do you ask students? What do you discuss and how? How do you keep it all organized? In this blog post, I hope to shed a little more light on the anatomy of my book club meetings. If you haven’t already r ead my first blog pos t about the concept or structure in general, click here . If you are ready to dive in and build your own classroom book club, keep reading!

1. Summarizing

Summarizing is a critical part of reading comprehension, so lately, I’ve been starting my classroom book club meetings out with a short summary exercise. I like to use SWBST, and I have a teaching pack available if you’d like to give that method a try . It comes with materials you can use with any text including Twitter summaries and these new SWBST Sketch Notes for any text. I usually have students doing that as their bell ringer, and it only takes about 2-3 minutes, then we share out for another 2-3 minutes. I usually type some examples on the board as they share.

2. Engaging, dissecting, and enjoying content from the week’s assigned pages

This part, to me, is the “fun” part of reading a novel. There are so many activities and creative projects and paired reading tasks that you can do to “make literature come alive” for the students during a classroom book club meeting — or anytime! I always start the classroom book club meeting off with one of these little bite-sized nuggets that relates specifically to something covered in the pages we read. I like to start with this “fun” piece because it sets the tone, and I really want students to enjoy reading!

For example, during our classroom book club meeting for Chapter 2 of Lord of the Flies, my students created a 3D map of the island using textual evidence. An activity like this requires students to go back and review those chapters and dig for details, while having fun. I played a little island music while they worked, and they had a good time.

After reading Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby, I feel it’s always important to discuss domestic violence. We close read that section of the chapter highlighting details like the cause of the conflict and the disparity between the men’s and women’s reactions. We set up a KWL chart, and I found a really great TED talk on the topic that we watched. (BTW: My The Great Gatsby Complete Unit is coming late 2019! You can get my The Great Gatsby video viewing guide here now !)

When I design literature units, I try include something “creative” or a “paired text/close reading task” for each chapter or section. I mostly turn to those for this part of the book club meeting. Every now and then, there won’t be something specific for the chapter we’ve read, or I’ll just be in the mood for something different. In that case, I’ll use a quick activity from my “Response to Literature: Making Literature Come Alive” bundle . These are short, little activities that pack a big punch. Each activity is text-based, so it’s a purposeful use of your time. Some require students to take on real-world role create something: T-Shirt Designer, QVC Sells Person, Sports Broadcaster, Crime Scene Reporter.

Others are derived from social media: Twitter Subtweeting, Cell Phone Conversations, Character Song Lists, Making Memes. Plus, every time I think of something new, I add it to the bundle, so you get those updates for free!

3. Small-group discussion

There are several ways you can go about this portion of the classroom book club meeting, and you also need to decide if it’s something you think your students need or not. I started small-group discussions as a precursor to large-group when I had a group of lower-level/reluctant readers because they would come to large group discussion with nothing to say, their thoughts weren’t organized, or they were too embarrassed to speak up. Once I started doing it, it just stuck for every group I had. Now, even with my most advanced groups, we almost always have a small-group discussion. They even ask for it, so they can get their thoughts together in a smaller, safer setting.

One method I use is the 3,2,1 approach. This method allows for more open-ended discussion. Students just take a blank sheet of paper out and jot 3 questions about the section/chapter, 2 comments, and 1 connection or key quote. Sometimes they can answer their own questions in the small group, and I love that. They are always going back and digging through the pages to look for info and answers. Depending on time, I give anywhere from 5-10 minutes in small group for 3-2-1. Since they are reading out-of-class, several of them bring questions and comments with them to class, and I love to see them bubbling and wanting to talk about books! Then, they bring that list to large group.

Another approach for small group is a guided focus. After reading Chapters 1-3 of The Great Gatsby, I wanted students to discuss findings from the color tracker sheet they had done in their “packets” for that section. The idea of color symbolism hadn’t gelled with them quite yet, so I felt it necessary to break them up into groups and have them discuss. I had them discuss all the colors on the chart, and then I just gave each group one color to be the “experts” on, and they led the discussion for that color. In that case I set up a specific framework and topic for their small-group discussion.

Another way to guide small group discussion is with literary analysis task cards. You could even use task cards for large group, too. It’s totally flexible. Task cards are perfect to differentiate different levels of readers or just to mix up what students look for and discuss. My Response to Literature Literary Analysis Task Cards come in my “Response to Literature: Making Literature Come Alive” bundle . The task cards come in both printable and digital format. Read more about using task cards in this blog post.

My literature worksheets that come digital and printable in the pack are also a good way to focus small-group discussion if there’s something specific you want to students to note or focus on for a certain set of pages or chapter. These would also work really well for the out-of-class packets you could assign students, especially if you are building your own book clubs or your unit needs more meat. (More on the packets below.)

4. Large-group discussion

In large group, I have us sit in a circle when we can. I usually just let anyone start with a question from 3-2-1, and we go from there. I encourage them to answer each other’s questions and go back to the text where necessary. I model that often. I only interject if I think they are off-base, if they ask a question I know will be answered in a later chapter, or when a little prompting could lead them to a much deeper discussion. Large-group discussion can last anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on what else you have done that day and how much time you have. I have had groups that skip small group entirely, and we go outside on a nice day and discuss for the majority of the class period.

In the case that students are reluctant to speak up or if you have students who dominate (especially if you are hosting longer discussions) I require every student to say something. I also made cute emoji puppets for discussion . Those work really well for younger students. Here’s a quick video where I explain a bit more about the accountable talk emoji puppets .

https://www.facebook.com/juliesclassroomstories/videos/1308406209253232/

Here’s a quick video tutorial where I explain large-group discussions a bit more:

5. Assessment

Since my students are reading out-of-class, they do take a quick quiz at the end of the book club meeting because I do want to hold them accountable. They are also working through packets as they read alone as well. Those are for a grade, too, and include comprehension questions, figurative language, grammar work, journal topics – just whatever I’ve created for the unit plan that would work to guide students through the reading and enrich learning. Every student completes every page in the “workbook” on his or her own. These packets replace the old-fashioned literature circle sheets students do that can be arbitrary or vacuous if not done correctly or managed correctly. I even think when done as well as possible, they don’t always teach students to really dig in and analyze a text. Here’s a link to a short IG story that shows a glimpse of a Lord of the Flies packet I put together.

I have 75-minute periods, so we have to keep it moving. We do all the above steps in that time period and always on Fridays, but if you have shorter periods, you might want to consider doing a two-part classroom book club meeting each week. Every now and then I’ll do that, especially when I have a bigger project in mind. We might start on Thursday or end on Monday. Everyone’s schedule is different, so it’s hard for me to predict what might work best for your timeline. One thing that I’ve starting doing this year is making a slide show (PPT) for the meeting, so that students can see where we are going, and we can keep up with progress more easily. It also gives them a visual because I add pictures, but it’s also helpful for differentiation purposes to meet various learning styles. I’ve also had admin drop in for pop evaluations during book club meetings, and it helps them see at-a-glance what we are working on. I just make one slide per “segment” of the class (see 1-5 above), plus a “Daily Objective” slide at the beginning.

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Host a Book Club For Middle and High School Students Instead of Literature Circles

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:02:42 GMT

Host a Book Club For Middle and High School Students Instead of Literature Circles

An English teacher’s life is packed, and for the most part, on top of that, we are doing more than just teaching English. For me, I’m the yearbook adviser, the graduation coordinator, senior class sponsor, member of the leadership committee, etc. I’m sure your situation is similar. So, when I can cut down on what I might be doing in my English class that causes me more work (and doesn’t really benefit the students more than another choice I could make) I look at revising it. Therefore, one year the cut came to literature circles. In fact, I had done them several times, several ways and hated (I know that is a strong word, but really) so much that instead of revising it, I cut it completely for several years – until another idea hit me. So before I launch into what I do instead of literature circles, let me make my case against them. Primarily, my number one reason for not using literature circles is not the work load for me of all the copying, begging, keeping multiple stories straight, and grading through different work stacks, but rather the disservice I think it does to the students. Every single time I tried the literature circle strategy with different students reading different books doing different roles, never once did a student actually read the material in its entirety or go above and beyond to explore other aspects of the novel. They would cheat the system every single time no matter what I offered, promised, or threatened. In theory, I think they are great. Once I was brave enough to try again, I looked at ways to revise the concept and now my students read at least one novel out of class and not only do I look forward to the time, but so do they. So, what do I do? I still wanted it to have a read-for-fun concept, so we have Friday Book Clubs. Below is my method of implementation. This is my strategy for managing and maintaining out of class readings for students.

1. Each student reads the SAME book

I know- where’s the fun in not letting them pick? The picking strategy doesn’t work for me (or my students) because honestly, if they are all so good to be in the stack that it doesn’t matter what they pick, then why aren’t they reading them all? In my opinion, there’s no way each book can offer the same type of skills. For me, time is so precious, so I’m even using my out of class readings as a vehicle for skills I need to cover. Also, how can you make connections across other texts and concepts and reference them in class when only a certain number of students are privy to the info? I even seen with literature circles eventually the students read all the books anyway. I am not one to just fly through the pages of a book to check it off the list. I would rather my students take an entire semester on one book, if need be, to really dig into its layers instead of flying through a stack, just so everyone feels like he/she gets a choice. If they are reading them all, then it was never a choice anyway – just a choice in what order they read them, and it’s more frustration and work for the teacher.

2. Each student has the same role and goal – to get the most out of the book as possible so we are all on the same page

With literature circles, students get into groups to discuss the work they did for their specific role. Then they switch roles at different points and so on. I found that if a student was the word master for the group, that’s all she did. If a student was assigned to be the symbol sleuth, he just looked for symbols and completely missed any new words or any key developments with the characterization. I prefer my students to read with an open lens, so they come to class with all the information of the text bubbling around in their head. Then, I give them a focus for their discussions, and they drill down. To me, reading for just bits and pieces takes the fun out of reading. It makes it like shopping with a list – you miss other things you might’ve loved because you are too focused on just the list. See my accountable talk discussion pack and my emoji puppet stems for productive and fun discussions!

3. We do meet in small groups weekly

Students are still assigned (or choose) a small group of other students – their book club – for the duration of the study. They’ve all read the material and are ready to complete whatever activity for skills building and discussion that I have ready. Since my students read their books out of class, I dedicate every Friday to book clubs. While they are reading out of class, I just want them reading – no busy work to do, etc. Just reading and comprehending. Plus, I really do try to limit the amount of homework they are required to do because, let’s be real, most have jobs, play sports, take extra classes, etc. So, with my reading assignment, I just want them reading. Typically, my students do only one out of class novel per semester. That amounts to about 15-25 pages a week depending on the novel length. They have all read a certain number of pages over the course of the week, and on Friday they come to class ready for a short closed-book quiz. Yes, I give a quiz. (Maybe that could be a topic for another post.) After the quiz, we discuss openly the plot development from this week’s reading, I answer questions, and they discuss and debate, make predictions, and so forth. Next, they move into their small groups, and I have some sort of activity waiting for them to complete that is skills-based. Sometimes they close read a section and discuss. Other times, they are working on symbolism or characterization. During this time, I can visit each group and listen to their conversation because I know they’ve read the text and are now enjoying working together to complete the task. I can enjoy hearing what they say instead of worrying that some people haven’t even done the reading. See more about the specific anatomy of a book club meeting in this new post! Click here!

4. Students do have choices

Throughout the course of the unit, I do provide students with choices in the projects they do, essays they write, and even in the research they conduct. The book I pick is the constant and offers the stability, and from that students’ curiosity is piqued and choices are generated. I love using menu boards, giving lists of topics, or having students submit their own ideas. What I don’t have is copies and copies of various pages and packets that students must keep up with and manage. Task cards also help with streamlining work and provide differentiation.

5. Grading is more streamlined, and I get a better picture of what students understand on an individual level

I take grades from the quizzes, short writing prompts, research project presentations, essays, paired texts questions, and other related worksheets. All these things measure what the students can do on their own in response to the text rather than what they copy down on a sheet from the surface of the text. Each of my literature units that I develop and sell have all these no prep pieces included.

Basically, this method blends the modern idea of literature circles in the sense that students are reading out of class and coming together with a group to discuss and dig into the text with the old-fashioned methods of traditional out of class reading strategies that offer the structure and accountability that I think students also need to get the most from a text. I’ve had students tell me that was the first book they’ve ever read all of from beginning to end. I’ve had students say, “I really liked that book – what other stuff did he/she write or what would be another book like that?” and they go searching on their own. Now if that isn’t building true readers and opportunities for authentic choice, then I don’t know what is.

Some novel units I’ve completed with great success include Dave Cullen’s Columbine, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies.

Also available are ready-to-go units for the following titles:

- Speak @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Speak-Literature-Guide-Novel-Unit-Complete-Plan-232923

- B leachers @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bleachers-Literature-Guide-Unit-Plan-John-Grishams-Football-Novel-2764052

- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Know-Why-the-Caged-Bird-Sings-Angelou-Literature-Guide-CCSS-1095853

- Don’t see your favorite title? You can now build your own book club with my Teaching Literature Bundle!

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Tips For New Yearbook Advisors

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:27:52 GMT

Tips For New Yearbook Advisors

Over ten years ago, I was asked—well, told—that I would be the yearbook adviser. Like any good new hire, I responded with a cheerful, “Sure!” despite never having been on a yearbook staff or newspaper team, and without a degree in journalism or any formal training in student publications. I walked into a yearbook program left in chaos, where the former adviser had exited on bad terms, and calling the staffers "hostile" would be putting it mildly. I learned everything the hard way and entirely on my own—through trial, error, late nights, and more than a few tears. Over time, though, I not only figured it out, but I also grew to love advising the yearbook. I was lucky to gain the support of my school administration, faculty, and student body, as well as a fantastic yearbook publishing company and a rockstar yearbook rep. So if you’re a new yearbook adviser wondering where to start, here are the first five things you need to do right now to set yourself -- and your staff -- up for success.

Deadlines and Ladder

Yearbook class is almost like a company. It operates with one foot in the school world and one foot in the business world. The first thing you need to do is sit down with your yearbook rep or company and find out when your deadlines are. Once I have those deadlines, I handle them a couple of ways. First, I make the ladder and set every page that needs to be created. Second, I NEVER give my students the drop-dead deadline. In fact, they get a couple of deadlines from me: a preliminary and a final. Often, there is one in between that one, too. I chunk my pages based on content and what I know we can get done first. For example, my business ads are always submitted on the first deadline, student portraits usually go next, and so on. Also, I give students at least two deadlines to work on a time – the closest one and the next one. In fact, my students are basically assigned every page/topic they will be completing for the year the first or second week of school! That way there are no surprises, and we can make our deadlines!

Budget

Again, this is something you will need to sit down and talk to your company rep about the first week of school or before. Once you know what the overall bill will be, you can work backwards to begin collecting money. We sell business advertisements and senior tribute advertisements to help lower the cost of the book for our students. I teach in a very rural school district, and I wanted as many students to have the opportunity to purchase a book as possible, so the ad sales help. It’s important to know the end goal up front, so you don’t overspend on book design extras, etc. My full yearbook curriculum has an entire teaching pack included for business sales, etc.

Equipment Organization and Photography

Whether you have a small staff or a large staff with a lot of equipment or a little, there has to be a system to keep up with everything so it’s all protected. My staff has several cameras, lens, etc. and each staff has a laptop as well. Before they can even use the equipment, they must sign a release form . My principal approved my form, and I hand it out on the first day. Next, I have system for check outs. Anything checked out must be signed out and signed back in. For the computers and other materials, each student has a bucket and a cubby. Last, one of the most important things you can do to protect images and keep them organized is to require each student to have his/her own memory card. In the past, I’ve supplied those cards and they get lost, stolen, broken, and/or erased. Once I started requiring staffers to have their own cards, those problems were almost nonexistent.

Teamwork and School Spirit

The dynamic of yearbook staff can be really tough for a couple of reasons: large personalities and the pressure of getting things done. I start on the first day building the concept of teamwork and collaboration. We do team-building activities, and we talk about what each person has to offer. We also take a look at our own struggles , so that we know everybody has room to grow and we can learn from each other. The other component of keeping a positive attitude going is making sure the student body feels connected and supported by us. Each of my staffer gets a list of students (I divide the entire student body up) that he/she keeps track of all year. They get to know the people on their list through projects I assign, and they make sure those people are being covered in an authentic way. I have several of these projects in my store, or you can let your students brainstorm some! Also, I always have a small gift for my staffers on the first day to let them know how much I appreciate them! Our theme this year is related to the idea of authenticity – so I went with Coke’s real thing slogan! Plus, my staffers know how much I love my real, RED coke!

Grading

If your yearbook class is for credit, grading can be a sticky issue, so it must be consistent and formulated. My staffers get grades several ways: selling ads, selling my books, meeting deadlines, projects, and pages. I use rubrics to grade their pages with. Projects include photo challenges, interview challenges, presentations, etc. They also do grammar worksheets and sometimes we read info texts on hot topics and answer questions. All of these items can be found in my full yearbook curriculum that is ready to go for you.

Conclusion

In all, I realize there is a lot of turnover in the yearbook adviser world, and rightfully so. It’s not an easy job for many reasons: deadline stress, money worries, drama from staffers, un-supportive admin and/or faculty, nosy or apathetic community members, subpar publishing companies, and the list goes on and on. So, if you are a new or newish yearbook adviser, I hope I can share something from my struggles along the way that can help you. So…..my #1 tip for new yearbook advisers? Eat the elephant one bite at a time. You can’t change the world — or a yearbook program — in a day!

Want to binge more new yearbook sponsor content? Check out these resources:

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Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Yearbook Ladder

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:10:24 GMT

Everything You Need to Know

About Planning a Yearbook Ladder

When it comes to creating a yearbook, one of the most important steps in planning is the sequence in which the content will appear, and in the yearbook world, we call that the yearbook ladder. The ladder is the page-by-page list of what will be appearing where in your yearbook. Without a ladder to plan your yearbook pages up front, it is likely that areas of content could be missed, pages would be left unplanned/blank, or your book won’t feel cohesive when it’s all said and done. However, the process of deciding how to tell the story of the year can be challenging because there are several things to decide and account for when planning a yearbook ladder. Here I’m sharing everything you need to know about planning a yearbook ladder so that process can go from challenging to rewarding in a few steps.

1. SET TOTAL PAGE COUNT FOR THE YEARBOOK

Before you can plan your yearbook ladder, you need to know how many pages your will book have. That is a matter of budget. Typically, you will meet with your yearbook representative from the company publishing your book as well as your school’s bookkeeper. Another thing to consider with your page count and budget is if you will be selling any ads: business advertisements and/or senior tribute advertisements. Those bring money into your account, but at the same time, they affect page count. Your yearbook rep and bookkeeper can help you make those decisions. You can click over to my Tips for New Yearbook Advisers post to read about planning the budget.

2. INVENTORY ENROLLMENT, CLUBS, SPORTS, AND ACADEMICS

In order to adequately begin positioning content on your yearbook ladder, you need to take inventory of some important data! How many students are enrolled, how many clubs, sports, and classes you have will affect the ladder because it determines how many pages you need for each of these pieces that you will want to cover in your yearbook. For example, if you have 300 seniors, you will need to figure out how many pictures you can (want to) put on the senior spread pages and then multiple that by how many total you will need to fit all your seniors’ portraits in the book. You’ll do the same for the underclassmen. The other content areas can be a little tricky depending on how you set up your timeline (more on that below) and depending on how much “attention” each one will get. With sports, for example, we decided to give each sport its own double page spread whether or not it was a “big” sport. We’ve done the same for academics and clubs in the past, but then decided to change that up for those coverage areas because of the lack of truly solid content. These are decisions you and your staff will need to make as early in the year as possible so your ladder is as solid from the get go. You can grab tons of planning guides in my Yearbook Adviser Starter Kit.

3. CHOOSE THE TIMELINE STYLE FOR THE YEARBOOK LADDER

The timeline you choose might be one of the most debatable aspects of planning your yearbook ladder. The timeline is the sequence in which the events and content will appear, and there are basically three options: traditional, chronological, blended.

Traditional : When I look through the old yearbooks from the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s, and so on stored in my classroom for how they are organized, I find a traditional layout with like content grouped in sections: student life, sports, academics, people, clubs/advertisements. There is no overlapping or merging of content among sections. This is a traditional timeline.

Pros: If you have a traditional audience, they will like the familiarity of this sequence. Also, you aren’t confined to covering events on specific days of the year since you are just grouping content. Deadlines might be easier since you will have huge “chunks” of content done at one time. For example, if you have your advertisements done first in the year, that might be enough pages you make the first deadline. Read more about how to make your deadlines in my Everything You Need to Know about Meeting Deadlines post here.

Cons: This sequence forces you to cover a topic on a spread that might not have very much material, or it could feel repetitive. For example, in the academics section, you might have several pages in a row with student seated at desks. Or, one sport might not have as many games or matches as another, so the pages don’t look balanced. Also, if something new pops up, it might be hard to find a place for it in you pre-determined sections.

Chronological : As yearbooks have evolved, organic coverage by seasons, months, weeks, or days even has started to emerge. The chronological coverage approach organizes the book by events of the year as they happen.

Pros: This approach showcases the way students live their lives: day-to-day. It is flexible in terms of coverage. Chronological coverage allows you to mix types of coverage on one spread. For example, you might cover a Beta Club community service event, a science experience in biology, and a football game that happen during a specific week all on the same spread.

Cons: There is a lot of pressure to be organized with this method. Staffs cannot procrastinate because if a day or week goes by without any pictures being taken or notes being made, you can’t go back in time and get that coverage. Also, since coverage is being mixed, it might be hard to measure/equalize coverage of all your groups, academics, etc. Last, it may be hard for readers to “locate” specific events or sports since they aren’t grouped.

Blended: The first school year we came back-to-school from being closed due to COVID was 2021, and we still weren’t sure how much would be “normal,” so that ,of course, affected coverage and our ladder. We knew we would have to do something different. We decided a blended approach would work best in case we weren’t able to fill all the pages of our traditional sequence –looking back, we wouldn’t have been able to; things weren’t “normal” at all. The overall structure of a blended book is chronological, but we kept traditional sections throughout the book, too. For example, along with the month-by-month coverage to start the book and include academics, clubs, and student life, we did separate sports and people sections in chronological order. Last, we created a groups section that housed the sports groups and club groups, and our ads went in the back like always.

Pros: This method is super flexible and “hides” issues like not enough content for whatever reason. This approach allows you to cover more topics in more creative ways. You can find topics for coverage that normally would never get any coverage. It’s the best of both worlds, in my opinion, to keep please a traditional audience but move toward something more modern as well!

Cons: Similar to the cons of a chronological book, staffs have to plan early and be sure to catch stories for your monthly/seasonal sections, or when it’s gone, it’s gone.

4. INCLUDE DEADLINES WITH THE YEARBOOK LADDER

Whether we like it or not, deadlines rule yearbook. If we don’t submit the book on time, it doesn’t arrive on time! So, when you are planning a yearbook ladder, you need to consider when your deadlines will be. Check with your yearbook representative early, so you know how many pages are due when. Then, you can decide what you will put where so you and your staff can get the pages done on time! Consider also when events, sports, etc. occur in the year when placing them in your book as well. Additionally, you can used a well-crafted and planned ladder to mark pages that needed to be proofed and even for marking when pages are submitted. Whether it’s color-coding, marking, stickers, highlighting, etc., select a procedure that works for your staff and get the most out of your yearbook ladder!

5. SELECT A FORMAT FOR YOUR YEARBOOK LADDER

While it’s important to plan ahead to eliminate sudden changes, the yearbook ladder — like yearbook in general — is fluid. The planning stage alone is super fluid until it is somewhat pinned down, so a format where you can write and wipe and move things around is key. I’ve used wall posters, printed pages, and digital versions of my yearbook ladder throughout the years, and honestly, I feel like it takes all of them to keep everyone on track. If you are doing a printable version or wall version, then someone needs to be in charge of keeping it updated when there are changes made, especially if you are using two versions like a shared digital version and a wall version. I used Google Sheets for our digital version, and that makes it easy to share. There are several versions of a printable ladder in my yearbook starter kit that you can grab here . A fellow high school yearbook adviser from got creative and made an interactive ladder for her white board with magnetic write and wipe pieces. She bought magnets in business card size and dry erase business cards on Amazon. She put the magnet on the back and used washi to split it, so it represents a spread. Using a dry erase marker on her white board, she wrote page numbers, and then on the movable cards, she wrote the subject of the pages. She has the kids put a yellow check when they are ready for the editors to look at it, a red one when they have made the editors suggested corrections and they are ready for her to look at it, and then it will get a green one when it’s done. Whatever format you have, be sure it’s shareable and accessible to students. Students really should be involved in the process of planning the yearbook ladder, and they certainly need to be informed. That creates so much more ownership and an environment of collaboration.

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” – Alexander Graham Bell

Definitely add planning your yearbook ladder to your to-do list for the first week of school, if not before. The priority is to choose the best plan to tell the amazing story of your school’s year and to showcase your students in the best light possible. Planning your yearbook ladder early on ensures that classroom success story!

Watch and listen to a version of this post here.

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Increasing Yearbook Coverage: 5 Ways to Include More Students

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:37:20 GMT

Increasing Yearbook Coverage:

5 Easy Ideas to Feature More Students

In a previous post , I mentioned some challenges I had as a first year as a yearbook adviser regarding coverage (the number of times each student is featured in the yearbook), so I wanted to elaborate and provide some ways I eventually worked through increasing yearbook coverage. Unfortunately, when I became the yearbook adviser, the publication was exclusive for big sports and seniors. That saddened and worried me all at the same time. Sound familiar? If a book is supposed to document the year that everyone enjoyed and was a part of, how can this time capsule I am helping to create only reflect a portion of those events, memories, and people? That year, with some gnashing of teeth and a few tears, we forged ahead to reshape our purpose. Ultimately, we increased our yearbook coverage to represent our entire school—ensuring all students appeared at least three times in the book. It was a challenge but absolutely worth it!

Here are 5 easy ways that any staff can use to maximize yearbook coverage and ensure your book represents every student.

1. CREATIVE PROJECTS YIELD MORE DIVERSE PICTURES

Most of the time students stick to one group or set of friends because that is easy and safe. Yearbook students are no exception. One way to ensure diverse coverage and to increase yearbook coverage is to assign staffers projects that reach out to different students throughout the school. If staffers have a task (attached to a grade), that pushes them out of their comfort zone, then they can reach out to more students. Not only does this begin to build more opportunities for coverage, but it also begins to build trust bridges between the staff and the student body. If the students see that we are reaching out to all students, no matter what group, then they begin to see value in what we are doing. And that, well, that affects our bottom line. Over the years, I’ve done several projects that promote coverage. The projects always have a theme, require an interview and picture, and must be presented in class. That ensures my staffers are reaching out to a variety of other students, we are collecting good pictures, and I have a grade for my grade book. Check out a few of the projects I’ve done in the past that really ignite some great discussion and images. Find several ready-to-go projects in my Yearbook Curriculum .

2. OFFER INCENTIVES TO THE STUDENT BODY

Whether you are having to repair the relationship between your yearbook staff and student body or not, there is always a struggle to get student buy in. Issues include student shyness, teenage angst, rival groups, and even more. Knowing how to reach out is a struggle because we don’t want to embarrass anybody, but we also know we have a task to do. We want everyone, and we really want them at least three times. That is a tall order, I know, but it makes for a much more meaningful book. Here are a few ways we get kids involved, which makes their participation seem more like it was on their terms than ours and increases coverage.

Social media is your friend when it comes to yearbook. Kids are always taking a selfie or posing with their friends before a game, but they would never feel comfortable letting a staffer take their picture. Set up a Dropbox, email, Facebook group, or Instagram where students can submit their own pictures.

Everything doesn’t have to be a secret! Feature images and spread sneak peeks in the hallway.

Another idea to get stellar images from students is to host a photo contest. I set up 5 or so categories (school spirit, landscape, illustration, etc.) and let students submit their images. We get our yearbook representative to help us judge (sans names), and those students win a small prize. Plus those images with the photographers’ names are featured in the book and in a hallway display, and you can use all the other images, too!

Post the index or write individual notes to place on students’ lockers telling them a few pages they are featured on.

No one can resist a sweet treat! Invest in some candy to give students who are willing to pose, and you will have line.

3. REDESIGN SPREADS TO GET IN MORE COVERAGE

Thoughtful design and layout plays a big role in how many students you can cover in a book. My book is about 180-190 pages, the smallest trim size available, and we have about 550-600 students. Some pages you may have not thought of to use for coverage include business advertisements and index. If a business has affiliations with a student, maybe they would like to give a shout out on their ad. Another type of ad that generates both coverage and money is the Senior Memory Ad paid for by the family of the senior. Also, you can include sidebars or photo bars on the portrait pages or club group pictures in the reference section. Just get crafty, shrink those mugs, and move in some cute packages with tons of interesting pictures and coverage. Most kids don’t love their school picture anyway. Use that space to cover them in a more natural, fun way.

4. THINK BEYOND PICTURES FOR COVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES

Words and numbers “count” as coverage, too. Plus, this strategy really helps with increasing yearbook coverage of those super shy students I mentioned above.

Include authentic quotes from students in all body copy and captions.

Use charts and graphs that relate to your theme to showcase survey results that include entire classes or groups of students. Tag all the names of students surveyed, and add a picture/quote/response from one or two of the students (depending on how much room you have).

Scoreboards for sports seasons reflect entire teams. With a quick quote or image carefully placed, those stats have extra meaning.

For students without a portrait in the picture section, be sure to create a list of “not pictured” students at the end. They need to be documented as part of the class even though they didn’t have their picture made for whatever reason. Tag those names to another picture on the page, so it populates to the index flow (if your publisher has that feature.)

5. MAINTAIN A DIVERSE STAFF

Birds of a feather flock together, right? Yearbook can definitely be its own little tribe (and that’s ok), but staffers must be open-minded and invested in the goal. I think part of the problem I had when I first started was that yearbook class was only for seniors. It was an exclusive entity clique, and the privilege was there to be taken advantage of. Only certain people were able to join, and everything was a secret. I want my staff to think of themselves as working for the school, not the other way around. We are creating a gift for everyone. If possible, take applications to see what qualifications students have and how diverse they are with their interests, activities, and skills. Accept applications from sophomores, juniors, and seniors, so that it is easier to reach out more. Once you have an established staff, be sure to keep it mixed up to avoid cliques forming inside the staff. Randomly assign projects and keep page assignments thoughtful and purposeful. I also assign each of my staffers “families” from the student body. Basically, I get every student in the school and divide the names among my staffers. They are responsible for making sure every person in their “family” gets covered. This one strategy (aside from the mindset shift) has made the biggest impact over the years in increasing coverage. Find a printable and digital application in my Yearbook Starter Kit for Advisers .

Conclusion

Covering each student at least three times is a huge task, but one very worthy of our time and attention. We’ve never had 100% coverage of every student three times, but we’ve gotten close — upwards of 80% for several consecutive years. Increasing yearbook coverage is something we start focusing our energies on from the first week of school. Be organized, keep lists, and make sure it’s everybody’s task. Challenge your staff to see how many different people they can cover on a page and offer incentives to them. It is a struggle, but it’s a productive one. Everybody wants to be part of a group — part of something — and the yearbook is for sure the ONE THING of which ALL students can be a part.

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Daily Grammar Lessons for Middle & High School ELA in 10 Minutes a Day

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:20:20 GMT

Daily Grammar Lessons for Middle & High School ELA in 10 Minutes a Day

Teaching grammar in middle and high school is a challenge, especially when time is limited, and grammar is difficult to teach. Nonetheless, there are standards we middle and high school English teachers must cover before the end-of-course exams or standardized tests roll around. Plus, if you are a writing teacher like me, you want to see your students’ grammar, usage, and mechanics improve. Grammar is one standard that must be taught, but it’s a huge umbrella encompassing so many skills that it becomes overwhelming to plan for. However, after years of just trying to figure out what works, I developed my Ten-Minute Grammar Program . Now you can benefit from my trial and error! Thus, here are five tips for teaching grammar using my classroom-tested Ten-Minute Grammar Program. It really does cover all that grammar — in just 10 minutes a day.

1. DAILY GRAMMAR BELL RINGER PROOFREADING STARTERS

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, my daily starter is two sentences with various mistakes. I have those on the board when students come in, and they know to get started making corrections. I give them time to write the sentence as is , and then they go back and make corrections with a red (or colored pen). Why do I have them write the sentences as-is? As we make corrections to the sentences, I explain the rules and use the proofreader’s marks to make corrections. I want students to be able to see the original mistake, how to fix it, and what the rule is. — Then, we go over the answers together, and I use that time to provide any additional instructions, explanations, or rules. It takes about 10 minutes each day . Students keep up with their corrections and notes in their folders from day to day. The sentences that I’ve written in my complete grammar curriculum are based on research from current events or provide information about authors, so there’s always something interesting to read about!

See a video of me doing these bell ringers “live” right from my classroom!

See an example video of the tutorial explanations that I’ve done for every bell ringer. They come with the resource! They are perfect for teacher prep or to share with your students.

2. FLIPPED CLASSROOM GRAMMAR VIDEOS

I recently discovered the value of the “flipped classroom.” I was aware of the idea but had never tried it. I hadn’t tried it because I just couldn’t really find an effective way to make use of it – until this year. My students struggle with grammar concepts, as most students do. They actually asked me for more lectures on grammar because they were concerned about the ACT. But, I just couldn’t devote large chunks of class time to PPT presentations of grammar. Even though they said they wanted more instruction and practice, I don’t really think they wanted that either. My solution was to try the flipped classroom concept. Each week on Tuesday afternoon, I send out a link to a grammar tutorial via my Google Classroom. You could also just send an email or use the Remind app. It is a short video on one skill. I encourage students to watch it as many times as needed and to take notes. We will typically work on the same skill or skill set for a few weeks, but with a different video each time. So, where do I get the videos? I certainly don’t make them myself ;)! I once had a college professor say, “Work smarter – not harder!” All the videos I send come from youtube.com. Some of my favorite go-to channels are GrammarBytes , Shmoop , The Sentence Center , MrsBartonFWA , Khan Academy , and MisterSato411 . These weekly videos work pretty well for my high school students, partly because most grammar has been covered by the time they get to me, so a quick refresher typically will suffice. Even with younger students, though, I could see the value in sending home the video link the day before a lecture to set it up. The more times they hear and see the information the better. My complete grammar curriculum includes links to the videos that I’ve carefully curated and collected over the years.

3. WEEKLY GRAMMAR WORKSHEETS

Students need regular practice with specific, isolated skills. I like the idea of a skill drill to give students specific practice. These worksheets are unlike the daily bell ringers, which have a random selection of mistakes. Each Wednesday, when students come into the room, they have a grammar worksheet to pick up and do as a grammar drill for the day’s starter. It’s timed (10 minutes), but they can use their notes that we’ve taken in class or from last night’s video. The worksheet usually has some notes at the top and examples for that skill. This way, students can give their attention to that skill and work through examples of all the rules associated with that skill. The skills that I’ve included in my grammar curriculum were selected primarily from the skills covered on the ACT.

4. WEEKLY GRAMMAR QUIZZES

Weekly quizzes go hand-in-hand with the daily proofreading starters. Yes, students may see a question from the skills worksheet, but mostly the questions are from the skills we covered in the bell ringers. That is because it’s during the bell ringers that I’m giving the most instruction and rules. Plus, just like on the ACT, the skills are all mixed in, so I want these quizzes to simulate that experience. When I first started doing the daily proofreading, I was collecting notes and notebooks and giving credit for that. It was cumbersome and so time-consuming, and I realized I wasn’t actually assessing if students knew those grammar skills we had worked on all week. I was just measuring if students could take notes and keep up with them! At that point, I started making multiple-choice weekly grammar quizzes. The task was huge, but after several years, I had a nice compilation. Since they are multiple-choice, my students can take them on the ActivExpressions or Scantron, and that makes it easy for me to grade. We take the short 5 to 6 question quizzes on Friday and go over the answers immediately. I spend time discussing why one answer is correct over the others, and then students take time to chart their scores and make notes on strengths and weaknesses. It’s a 10-minute time commitment, and students often report increased scores on the ACT after having worked through the daily starters and weekly quizzes. Click here to read another post about how I track data. In my 10 Minute Grammar program, the quizzes are also now available in self-checking Google format.

5. OLD-FASHIONED GRAMMAR HOMEWORK

One way to get more grammar practice is to assign homework, but it needs to be homework that requires application. Grammar homework (worksheets) typically has right or wrong concrete answers, thus making it very easy for students to cheat. Instead of assigning worksheets, have students write 10 sentences or a paragraph demonstrating their understanding of sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, parts of speech, etc. This way, you can be certain their work is original as it will be easy to spot “shared work.” The worksheets in my 10 Minute Grammar Bundle are great practice for extra work, reteaching, etc. I also have two new sets of digital self-checking worksheets for focused practice . I’ve also found these digital worksheets work well to send home on Thursday nights before Friday’s quiz.

IN CONCLUSION

I know there are camps of teachers who suggest that teaching grammar “in isolation” doesn’t work, but I am here to say that it really can. When done well, teaching students the grammar rules, having them practice the rules correctly each day, and holding them accountable with assessments and their daily assignments is the ticket. In that case, to me, it isn’t teaching grammar in isolation. It’s teaching students fundamentals, explaining the whys and hows, and modeling when and where to use what they’ve learned. You wouldn’t teach an auto mechanic how to work on a car’s engine without first teaching him or her what each tool does and the correct process of disassembling and reassembling. The same is true for teaching students grammar. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen students’ test scores go up by 3-8 points. As a writing teacher as well, after students have worked through this grammar program with me, students CAN apply the fundamentals to their own writing because they understand the why rather than having to just rely on what they’ve memorized or managed to figure out from the guesswork of “exploration-type” teaching.

I wouldn’t be sharing this if I didn’t KNOW that this method worked – from my own experience, from students who have seen better scores on tests and writing, and from parents who see how much their students have learned and can do.

Still want to know more? Watch/Listen to my Ten-MInute Grammar FAQ video on YouTube here .

WANT TO TRY THE FIRST WEEK BEFORE YOU DIVE IN? SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMAILS FROM JULIE’S CLASSROOM STORIES, AND I’LL SEND THEM OVER TO YOU IN A SNAP!

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If you are ready to try a 10-minute grammar program, take a look at my complete grammar program with daily grammar proofreading sentences, the video links I use, rules, worksheets, weekly quizzes, explanations, and answers. It’s a one-stop shop for grammar instruction.

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Classroom Makeover Ideas and Inspiration for a Journey Theme

mary@isbilltech.com (Mary McAmis) — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:56:14 GMT

Classroom Makeover:

Ideas & Inspiration for a Journey Theme

In this post, I’m sharing how you can Make Over Your Classroom with a Journey Theme just like I did! Hopefully this post of my classroom makeover journey – see what I did there �� – will inspire you, too. I’m also doing this post a little differently from my normal five-point posts. I’m giving you tons of ideas and inspiration for a journey-themed classroom.

THE OFFICE BEFORE

First, I had to do a lot of cleaning out and cleaning up before I could even move into the room. The office space – below – was so full when I got there that I could barely open the door enough to get in. After tons of work and some help from my very talented hubby, I have an amazing, private office space. Those shelves — he made those!

THE OFFICE AFTER

My favorite part of the office makeover is the beautiful collage wall. I found the items at yard sales, antique stores, and clearance racks all summer long. I just picked things that I loved, and we figured out a good layout for the items. On the wall across from the windows above the filing cabinets, I hung two vintage maps that I rescued from the closet in this room. On my desk, I have my re-purposed lamp. ( See the tutorial on how to do that here. ) I also grabbed these galvanized picnic bins for holding desk items. I even went all out and made a matching planner. You can get that here.

^^The burlap curtains came from Amazon , and I moved them over from my other room. You could easily grab some burlap from a hobby store and whip up your own to save money if you sew.

THE CLASSROOM BEFORE

Next, the classroom also needed a lot of cleaning up and cleaning out, but look at all the space and storage!

THE CLASSROOM AFTER THE MAKEOVER: WALLS

One of the first things I tackled in this classroom makeover with a journey theme was hanging up my signs and posters.

^^ I found those cute and authentic street signs above the cabinets at a local antique store.

^^ Next, I wanted to display places where I’ve traveled because they bring back good memories for me, and it turned out to be a good conversation starter with my students. In the center is a handmade plaque I got from a local artisan that reminds my students and me that no matter where we go, home is always at the center.

^^ This classroom even has sinks! I wanted to infuse as much text as possible into the room, so I made these journey-themed posters with poetry for above each sink. Get those posters here FREE . I had them printed at Walgreens.

^^ I used remnant linen fabric to line the bulletin board and the two borders came from here and here .

^^ Hall pass signs, classroom rules, bulletin boards, and even the mirror by the door are all decked out with journey-themed touches. Get all those posters here FREE . Again, printed at Walgreens.

^^ These weekly road map signs for daily tasks are a must for my classroom, and they are easy to make. Here’s how I did it. I bought these weekly calendar posters and put them in these frames . Now, if you had access to large paper to make a poster or even just a poster board and nice handwriting :), you could get away a lot cheaper! I made one for each subject I teach. I put the calendars in frames, and I use a dry eraser marker to write on my daily topics. I do this on Monday so students (me too) can see the plan! Get the weekly road map sign here free .

THE CLASSROOM AFTER: STUDENT DESKS

I’d never done grouped seating arrangements before, but I really loved the idea of giving it a try. I have to say that it was successful, and I will be doing it again this year. I didn’t want anybody’s back to the board, so I came up with this formation. It also gives plenty of room for my big kids to have their own space (I have juniors and seniors).

I searched and searched for ideas for towers that would fit my theme, work for the space, and look right for bigger kids. The tins and towers weren’t cheap, but I had done some fundraising to get enough money to cover it. Plus, the towers came from Target and they were on sale and I used a coupon! I got the tins here from Amazon . I put highlighters, colored pencils, and red pens in the tins on the first shelf. I fixed wipes, tissues, and GermX in baskets on the 2nd shelf, and we used the bottom shelf for our textbooks. The towers were really handy for the students.

I printed the signs at Walgreens, glued them to construction paper, put them in a sheet protector, and used paper clips to fix them to the towers. Get the group signs here free .

OTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE MAKEOVER

^^ This take-one basket is a strategy that I’ve done for years. I put it on a cart next to my door and put daily handouts in it for kids to pick up on their way in. Here’s a quick video I did to explain more on Instagram.

^^I teach English, so reading is a BIG deal in my classroom. I wanted to create a little spot to highlight the novels we would read as a class in the year. I didn’t put the names of the novels because I wanted them to be a bit of a mystery and conversation starter, so I just used symbols and objects that tell the story. The little suitcases are from a fun brand of clothing I love that my friend sells and she gifted them to me (Matilda Jane). I cut pieces of cardboard and glued map-themed scrapbook paper it that I salvaged from my sister’s collection to make the storyboards. I used scrapbook stickers, and luckily they were either on sale or clearance. The two novels pictured are Columbine and Their Eyes Were Watching God. In addition to the stickers on the storyboards, I put other 3D objects like the pears, passport, game controller, etc. The little area did draw attention, and after we read the novels, the symbols started to make sense!

^^ It’s a little hard to see, but on this counter I placed my grade-me basket, calendar, stapler, etc., and my graduation cardboard. That’s really the thing I love most over there. Over the years, I’ve collected the graduation invites and cards seniors have given me, but they were shoved in the drawer. Now, though, they are the perfect symbol for the end of this journey – the goal – for students before they take the next path in life. I love to display their accomplishment, and it gives younger students a reminder of what they are working for. I just bought one of those fabric photo boards from Hobby Lobby and done. It was getting a little crowded, so at the end of the year this year one of my students surprised me with another one as a gift!

^^ This is my workspace. It’s a little counter in the corner. Read here about how I set up my teaching station .

^^ Lastly, I fixed these little gift bags and tags to do assigned seats on the first day! Get the tags here FREE!

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my classroom, and I hope you found some ideas that will inspire you if you want to make over your classroom with a journey theme this year!

Everything You Need to Know About Bell Ringers

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:06:25 GMT

Everything You Need to

Know About Bell Ringers

Bell ringers are a staple in my high school English classroom. Even my yearbook students must complete a task at the start of the period. Without fail, each day my students have an assignment to do right after the bell rings — every day! About my 2nd or 3rd year teaching, I implemented a system of top-of-the-period daily work, and I haven’t looked back since. Along the way, I learned what didn’t work and what did. Here I’m sharing everything you need to know about bell ringers for secondary, any subject!

WHAT IS A BELL RINGER?

Also known as warm ups, bell work, do-nows, openers, entry-tickets, or jump starters, a bell ringer is the short activity that students do upon entering the classroom. They may be standards-driven, spiral review-orientated, inspirational, challenging, or even game-like. Bell ringers are more than just “something students do while you check roll;” they are the engine to the classroom train, the secret sauce to setting the tone, and the trick to calming the chaos.

BENEFITS OF USING BELL RINGERS

There are many, many reasons why you should start each period with a bell ringer. Those advantages include establishing classroom management/procedures, engaging students, helping students mentally prepare as they’ve transitioned to a different subject, implementing skill drills, and squeezing in spiral review. Of all the perks on this list, the top two reasons why I love bell ringers so much are establishing classroom management/procedures and drilling skills. I use my Ten-Minute Grammar Program each day to set the stage when students come in, and this choice allows me to cover ALL those grammar skills. We do work from “bell to bell” in my classroom, but I can’t start teaching right away because of attendance, announcements, etc. However, because my bell ringer is ready-to-go when students enter, they are working immediately. That also lets them know that a certain level of responsibility and academics is expected in my class.

WHAT TO AVOID WHEN USING BELL RINGERS

While bell ringers are the “best thing since sliced bread” for a classroom, you do need to implement them correctly in order for them to work. Three major pitfalls I’ve seen with teachers using bell ringers ineffectively are being inconsistent, selecting irrelevant/meaningless/basic/disconnected material, and never holding students accountable. Bell ringers must be used daily; otherwise students forget that’s the routine, and they take longer than intended to get started, etc. Secondly, bell ringers must be important, meaningful, and useful for students; otherwise they know it’s just busy work. Avoid selecting tasks that do not connect to your class’s goals or even your students’ learning levels. I don’t have students write in journals each day or record their feelings about a famous quote because that’s not a standard I’m trying to cover. Choose something that requires thinking and action; just reading a fact, writing a definition, or copying down a definition doesn’t require much of students. These types of tasks could be strengthened by adding a follow-up question or other requirement that increases the level of critical thinking. The third huge “no-no” when using bell ringer is not holding students accountable. Students always ask “is this for a grade?” While that question does make my eye twitch, it is relevant. We don’t want to do work that isn’t going to “count,” either. So, there must be some level of accountability. I don’t think that a completion grade or notebook check always suffices, either, and that’s another reason why I feel the bell ringer tasks really need to be standards-based. If I’m going to use class time for it, it needs to matter, and I need to measure if students are learning and growing as a result.

WHAT TO AVOID WHEN USING BELL RINGERS

For example, when my students do their ten-minute grammar exercises each it day looks something like this: On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, they correct two sentences for errors. They do them on their own, and then we go over them and take notes (grammar rules) for the corrections on their paper. I do not collect those notes. Instead, I give a multiple choice grammar quiz on Friday where I test those skills we covered for the week. The catch? Students can use their daily notes! If they don’t take notes, they are at a disadvantage on Friday’s quiz. Does it work? You bet! EVERYBODY takes notes all week, and all I have to grade is a quick multiple choice quiz once a week. With my yearbook students, their bell ringers look a little different. They are completing different tasks daily in a notebook-style resource, but each task still relates specifically to honing their journalism/photography/grammar skills. Most days we go over their answers in class, and then I evaluate their responses more in depth at the end of the week. Ultimately, I see them producing better pictures, writing, and content in the publication of our book. The same is true for my grammar exercises — student writing and test scores improve drastically.

A few other things that can sidetrack your bell ringer game are failing to help students be organized and mistaking the bell ringer for the “set” to your lesson. Especially if you are working with younger students or students with IEPs, it would be very helpful to have students create a notebook or folder just for the bell ringer activities. Take it one step further and have a place in your room for them to store it. Lastly, I don’t consider the bell ringer as part of my core lesson. Having students “Tweet” something from yesterday’s lesson, recalling a fact on a sticky note, reflecting on their understanding of this week’s skill, etc., is really more of a lesson set or lesson activator than it is a bell ringer. For me, the bell ringer and lesson set activities are not related – apples and oranges. Even when I have only 45-minute periods, I still used a separate bell ringer each day.

TIPS FOR HOW-TO USE BELL RINGERS EFFECTIVELY

Step 1: Evaluate which skills/goals you want to meet with your bell ringer time.
Step 2: Design/Select tasks that students can attempt on their own and that can be done in a short amount of time.
Step 3: Decide how you will evaluate student learning and/or hold them accountable for their work. Consider tasks that are easy to check daily or weekly. Instant feedback is always preferred.
Step 4: Plan to have the bell ringer on the board while classes change, so it is ready when students enter.
Step 5: Initially, model the procedure, proper responses, and expectations. Give students students several days to practice the procedure before letting them swim on their own.
Step 6: After a few weeks, evaluate the procedure and results from a teacher standpoint. If you find something isn’t working, change it! You know your classroom and students best!

GET GOING THESE GREAT OPTIONS FOR BELL RINGERS IN ALL SECONDARY SUBJECTS

For English/ELA:

Ten-Minute Grammar by Julie Faulkner and Read more about my Ten-Minute Grammar procedure here
Paragraph of the Week (High School) by Julie Faulkner
Paragraph of the Week (Middle School) by Julie Faulkner
Article of the Week (High School) by Julie Faulkner
ELA 7th Grade Spiral Sheets (Even though these are labeled as homework, they work perfectly for bell ringers.) by Julie Faulkner and One Stop Teacher Shop
ELA 8th Grade Spiral Sheets (Even though these are labeled as homework, they work perfectly for bell ringers.) by Julie Faulkner and One Stop Teacher Shop
ELA Bell Ringers Upper Elementary Middle School by Martina Cahill – The Hungry Teacher
Digital Middle School ELA & Reading Bell Ringers by Delightful Designs- Alissa Cook
Inspirational Quotes Daily ELA Bell Ringers by English Teacher Mommy

For Math:

For Spanish:

For History:

History Bell Ringer Templates and Prompts by Stephanie’s History Store

For Science:

For Yearbook/ Journalism:

Other:

Community Circle | Middle Grades | Full Year Social and Academic Prompts by 1 Passionate Teacher

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Practical Tips For Surviving Back-To-School

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 20:27:36 GMT

Practical Tips For Surviving Back-To-School

Are you a new teacher? Or a seasoned teacher who has started to dread heading back-to-school? We’ve all been there! However, the start of the school year doesn’t have to feel like a survival of the fittest game show! Here some tips that I’ve learned (from making plenty of mistakes) and tools that I’ve used that can make going to back-to-school much less stressful. Hopefully, these tips for surviving the back-to-school season will help you get your year off to a successful start.

1. PLAN TO COMMUNICATE WITH STUDENTS AND PARENTS

One of the biggest battles (especially at the secondary level) is making sure everyone is on the same page. It is important to get going with the communication early on so that it doesn’t escalate into a huge problem later on. If you struggle to get forms in or homework signed all year, you will never feel caught up. I teach secondary English, and parents never seem to know when a project is due or when a report card comes out, and teenagers like to keep it that way. However, I’ve found that my students can’t resist social media and their electronic devices. There are several options available. Remind is a texting app/website that sends text messages to anyone signed up for your list. I like it because it doesn’t use my cell phone number, I can schedule the messages for right after school, and parents and students can sign up. One thing I found that works for me with different periods and assignments due, etc. is to set up different classes. Then I can do one big blast or just pick certain classes. Students have to sign up using a code the website generates, and parents see the code on the syllabus I send home. The second tool I’ve used is dialmycalls.com . There is a free trial of this one available. Also, Google Classroom will send notes to parents weekly too if you set that up. These methods are easily documented and quick.

I also love to get information from my students and parents on the first day with an informational collection sheet. It is designed to interview BOTH the student and guardian. I really do enjoy reading the answers from both points of view. You can get the editable printable and digital form in my Back to School Survival Pack !

2. BUILD IN BREAKS FOR YOURSELF

I discovered this trick several years ago, while in survival — not thriving — mode. Every week, usually Fridays, I plan an activity that takes the pressure off of me, but still keeps the students engaged in a purposeful and meaningful way. For example, all week long I am lecturing on skills, monitoring assessments, engaging discussions, facilitating small groups, and being full-on up and going for 90 minutes straight. The kids are working, too, but I am doing a lot as well. Typically, on Fridays I plan a sneaky little breather for myself. Maybe the kids do a hands-on activity to reinforce what we did that week, and I just mingle and offer encouragement. Maybe the kids take a quiz or spend the period doing a quick writing assignment. One of my favorite things to do each week on Friday is my weekly reflection and book club meetings. The weekly reflection takes about 15 minutes, but it is the best 15 minutes! The kids are working, thinking, and talking while I am just sitting back listening, learning, and loving it! Find it in my back to school survival kit . Read more about my book club meetings here .

3. GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY

It’s really hard working with people you don’t really know. The more you know someone the better the relationship is and the time you spend together is more enjoyable. I believe it is important to do some getting-to-know you activities at the beginning of the year, but not the kind that you forget and throw away after a few weeks. And certainly not ones that are just busy work. I only have so much time with my students to get everything covered, so every minute counts. I used to be hesitant to say anything about myself at all, but I’ve come to realize that it does help to do some honest sharing with students. Otherwise, all they ever know about you is what you wear each day and everything else that they imagine to be true.

Also whatever activity you choose needs to have some sort of a diagnostic component. For me as an English teacher, it is easy to fall back on a quick writing assignment or short project. I can share my own response to the writing or project, so they learn about me. If you are teaching math, think about what students could accomplish or do to show their math abilities and have a fun product that shows you something about them. I love what Solutions for Math did with THIS back-to-school Figure Me Out getting-to-know you activity for high school math students. They will be practicing equations while getting to know their teacher and peers! General tasks for the first days work very well if you have very short periods or need something quick. My back to school survival kit has several of those.

Once you done introductions and icebreakers, direct your attention to something a little more standards-driven and subject-specific. Below is one of my favorite projects to do. It was featured in the History Channel‘s teacher magazine, and it’s free! It is really perfect for English, history, or digital classes.

4. CLASSROOM ROUTINES

Chaos is overwhelming and anxiety inducing. It’s frustrating for teachers and students. Over time that starts to affect your health and emotions. Decide what routines you need in your class to make each period run smoothly, start them from day one, and practice them with students. Each day, my students come into the room and do a few things BEFORE the bell rings:

Put their bags and purses on the cabinet near the door. They get out what they need and leave the bulk behind.
Check the “Take One Table” for any worksheets they need to pick up for the day. More on the “Take One Table” at this video on Instagram.
Students sign themselves in for attendance. I do that with a Google Form that I create a QR code for. Students sign in with that code on my splash screen every day. Click over to my Instagram for an explanation. Highlight linked here . (It’s after the Macbeth bulletin board.)
Get started on the bell ringer. You can read more about my bell ringers here . I love to give students responsibility before the tardy bell rings because it frees me up to greet them, eat a snack, and get anything else ready. It also allows us to waste zero time at the beginning of the period.

Some other routines I swear by are turning in papers into one place every time, labeling papers a certain way, and moving in and out of groups quickly and quietly. All these are things that I teach students during the first week of school – week, not day. It’s impossible to teach them all on one day and expect students to remember. Just add in and teach the different routines once they come up. Also, to be sure you’ve covered them all, make a list and chart out in your lesson plans what day you’ll be doing them. You can see more of my journey-themed classroom at this post .

5. GO HOME ON TIME

…or as close to on-time as possible. Nothing will drain you faster than staying over every single day; teachers are notorious for doing this. We work and work and lose track of time. Then we work when we get home and on weekends. I am very guilty of this myself. I feel like I can’t get it all done or am not being a good teacher if I don’t. But by Christmas I have worn myself out so much that I am either in the hospital or sick on the couch all break – true story. Our last bell rings at 3:00pm. I have been working on this the past few years. If I stay late, it is only one (or maybe two) days a week. …or as close to on-time as possible.

What’s helped me improve is having a system and staying organized . For example, at the beginning of my plan period, I run all my errands –copies, paperwork, bathroom, etc. Then I come back to my room and check my email. After that I grade any papers or create any worksheets, lessons, etc. If I work through this system and don’t backtrack or get distracted, I can usually get things done. (We’re pretending here no one knocks on my doors, calls me on the intercom, wants a meeting, or stops me in the hall.) Also, I have 75-minute periods. Nonetheless, having the system works for the most part and helps me feel accomplished. I also plan out which days I work on things such as on Thursday I plan for next week so Friday I can turn in my lesson plans. On Friday, I do a quick swipe through my room to clean and put things away. I talk about using your planning time more here in this video on my Facebook page.

Implementing the steps and tips above really can ease the back-to-school stressors. Many of the tips can even be done prior to school starting without impeding too much on your summertime. Some would say the goal is to thrive and not just survive, and I completely agree with that. However, you have to stay alive and get the point where survival is happening before the thriving can begin.

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Start Your Yearbook Class Strong: 5 Picture-Perfect Back-to-School Tips

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:42:28 GMT

5 Ways to Have a Picture-Perfect Start to the Year in Yearbook Class

You want a picture-perfect start to your year. How do you do that in yearbook class since that class is a little different than other classes, right? The truth is – the answer is yes and no! Being the yearbook adviser allows me to spend time being creative alongside my students, and we have a very open environment where we share ideas and issues openly. However, building up this type of environment does take some time and nurturing, and we have a lot of tasks to get done quickly and are always staying busy. Even though students take a lead role in yearbook class, it is important to set the stage for a structured class right from the start of the year. Here I’m sharing 5 ways you can have a picture-perfect start to the year in your yearbook class this back-to-school season.

Teamwork

The idea of teamwork cannot be considered cliché in a yearbook class if things are going to run smoothly. While I do typically assign students individual tasks to complete regarding pages and photography, etc. if we are going to make the most out of everyone’s talents and time, the staff must learn to lean on one another. By the same token, each staff member must step up to the plate to be reliable. Doing a few teamwork challenges at the beginning of the year can really help students get to know each other and build up trust. One successful teamwork activity I have done is The Marshmallow Challenge: Can you build the tallest tower to hold up your marshmallow before the clock runs out? After the contest, I have students reflect on their process afterwards. It was crucial that they talked through the process to determine what worked and what didn’t. Another fun teamwork challenge for back-to-school in yearbook class is an escape game. I have a few ready-to-go escape games that would be perfect for a yearbook class. Click here to check those out.

School Spirit

When I first was asked to be the yearbook sponsor, the staff consisted of only seniors and so were the pages of the book. It was my first goal to stress that the book we create is a book for everyone. The yearbook staff’s job is to tell the story of the entire student body, not just the story of a few.

We wrote this motto:

"Everybody’s Story. Everybody’s Book."

— and I held them to it.

To ensure we were covering more people, we made lists and checked them off. I assign each staffer a group of students in the school that they have to reach out to and cover throughout the year. We cover the entire student body that way. Staffers write welcome notes to their new “families,” and throughout the year we plan gifts for the entire student body. Staffers worked to attend events they would have never attended before, and we reached out to different friend groups. It took our staff a while to build up trust from the student body after having an exclusive book for so long, but we got there. Read more about expanding your coverage at this blog post.

One teaching activity that I do every year back-to-school in yearbook class to remind the student body that we care about them is my Yearbook Class Back to School Activity: The World’s Smallest Interview, which is part of my Journalism Interviewing Complete Teaching Pack . Another activity that works really well is my selfie project. This informational hot topics lesson gets my students thinking outside their own circle of friends .

Gifts Goodies and Room Decor

Yearbook advisers and veteran staffers know that taking yearbook class is no cakewalk. It is a 9-5 (to give a little Dolly shout out here) commitment. It is a huge responsibility to be on yearbook staff, and I believe my students deserve to know that I value them! Each year for back-to-school in yearbook class, we design a staff shirt that suits their personality and alludes to the theme of our book. We always put our “catchy saying,” book name, and year on the front. They love for the word STAFF to be written across the top on the back! So, I happily oblige them. I even order myself a shirt, too, and we wear them throughout the year. You can usually order custom t-shirts for around $10 each at a local shirt shop. Another thing I like to do for the staff is periodically bring them treats. Sometimes I include a message. Other times I just have chocolate and coffee handy. Jazz up your room with fun and motivational posters. Choose a few evergreen pieces, use student art/work, and have a spot to include trendy and/or seasonal signs/posers as well.

Organization

A little bit of order promotes fairness and reduces anxiety. We already have enough of that, so we don’t want to create more. There are so many moving parts to operating a successful yearbook staff. Without proper organization and a plan in place, things, and people, are forgotten.

To ensure all ads are evenly distributed and sold and that all pages are assigned evenly and are being maintained we keep tally in Excel.

Having a plan and process for checking and storing equipment is also vital for a yearbook class.

Be sure to keep a printed copy and an electronic copy up-to-date of the ladder! It is tragic if something happens to the ladder! Read more about planning your yearbook ladder at this post: Everything you need to know about planning your yearbook ladder.

I also publish all due dates and assign photography beats at the beginning of the year so staffers can take ownership in managing their time getting pages complete. Tools to do that are included in my full Yearbook Curriculum .

BELL RINGERS

For taking yearbook class in the high school where I teach, students get a fine arts credit for taking the class. I submit paperwork to the state each year, so the students receive FA credit rather than elective credit. Therefore, I have worked the past few years to develop lessons that meet those requirements and improve the quality and content of the book, too. Even before students were getting the fine arts credit, we worked through lessons each day to improve our photograph, design, writing, and more. One of the ways I do that is with my yearbook bell ringers. They not only deliver mini-lessons and materials, but also, they are perfect for kicking the class off on the right foot. Bell ringers are huge for class management and structure.

The yearbook bell ringers I’ve created come in three formats: projectable, printable workbook, and digital workbook format. I begin the bell ringers on the first full week of school to set the stage that we will be treating yearbook class like our other academic classes as well. Interested in trying my Yearbook Bell Ringers? Sign up for my email list here , and I’ll send you the first week free!

Binge my yearbook advisor content:

Grab my new back-to-school bundle of student-facing activities to get your year off in a snap!

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Julie Faulkner's Blog

How to Proof a Yearbook Spread

How to Proof a Yearbook Spread

1. Print the Spread (Yes, Really)

2. Check Every Name — Then Check Again

3. Use Multiple Proofers (Three Sets of Eyes Minimum)

4. Fact‑Check Everything: Dates, Scores, Stats, and Details

5. Do a Final “Fresh Eyes” Pass — Days Before It’s Due

Closing: Proofing Is a System, Not a Sprint

A Better Way to Teach Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals: Logical, Sophisticated Argument Writing

A Better Way to Teach Claims, Counterclaims, and Rebuttals: Logical, Sophisticated Argument Writing

1. Start With the Logic: What Makes a Counterclaim “Real”?

2. Teach CCR as a Package — Not Three Separate Skills

3. Use the Imposter Game to Teach Logical Counterclaims

4. Move Into Writing: How to Weave CCR Into a Body Paragraph

5. Connect to AP Lang (Or other EOC/State Writing Assessments): Why This Method Works for the Rubric

Conclusion

Why Paragraph of the Week Works — And How to Use It in Your Classroom

Why Paragraph of the Week Works — And How to Use It in Your Classroom

1. What Is Paragraph of the Week?

2. Why Text‑Based Prompts Matter

3. Why the Weekly Routine Works (The Pedagogy Behind It)

4. Flexible Implementation for Any Classroom

5. Real Teacher Results = Classroom Success Stories

Conclusion

The Case for Whole Novels: How & Why You Should Teach a Full Novel in a World of Excerpts

The Case for Whole Novels: How and Why You Should Teach a Full Novel in a World of Excerpts

1) Begin and End with Purpose: Set the Stage and Stick the Landing

2) Build Reading Stamina Through Structured, Purposeful, Active Reading

3) Flood the Study with Meaningful Writing Tasks and Paired Texts

4) Make Discussion the Heart of the Novel Study

5) Keep Every Activity Text-Based — Even the Fun Ones

Conclusion: Why Whole Novels Still Matter

Homecoming & Spirit Week Costumes: Easy, Real-Life Outfit Ideas for Teachers

Homecoming & Spirit Week Costumes: Easy, Real-Life Outfit Ideas for Teachers

1. Raid Your Closet First

2. Use What You Teach

3. Think Multipurpose

4. Partner Up

5. Lean Into the Joke

Conclusion

Yearbook Theme Ideas & Development: How to Choose and Build a Meaningful Theme That Tells Your School’s Story

Yearbook Theme Ideas & Development: How to Choose and Build a Meaningful Theme That Tells Your School’s Story

1. Start With the “Why”

2. Generate Yearbook Theme Ideas With Guiding Questions

3. Develop the Theme Through Words, Concepts, and Design

4. Promote and Tease the Theme All Year

5. Avoid Common Yearbook Theme Pitfalls

In Conclusion

Setting Routines in a Yearbook Class: Practical Solutions for Common Challenges

Setting Routines in a Yearbook Class: Practical Solutions for Common Challenges ﻿

1. Bell Ringers: Starting Class Focused and On Task

2. Checking Out Equipment: Preventing Lost or Damaged Gear

3. Proofing and Submitting Pages: Avoiding Last-Minute Errors and Missed Deadlines

4. Collecting Money and Sales: Managing Orders Without Chaos

5. Digital File Organization: Keeping Your Yearbook Work Accessible and Safe

Conclusion

5 Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies I Learned from My Trip to New York City

5 Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies I Learned from My Trip to New York City

Celebrate What Makes Everyone Unique—But Still Belonging

Advertise Loudly—Communicate Clearly

Give Students Options—But Set the Boundaries

Be Iconic, But Evolving

Create Room to Breathe and Reflect

Conclusion

No-Prep High School & Middle School ELA Bell Ringers for Every Day of the Year

No-Prep High School & Middle School ELA Bell Ringers for Every Day of the Year

Grammar Bell Ringers: Daily Practice That Sticks

Writing Bell Ringers: Paragraph-of-the-Week Prompts

Poetry Bell Ringers: Short Texts, Big Thinking

Reading Bell Ringers: Informational Texts Article of the Week

Beyond the Weekly Routine: Keep It Fresh and Flexible

Plant-Themed, Growth Mindset High School Classroom Design Makeover

Plant-Themed, Growth Mindset High School Classroom Design Makeover

The Before

Student-Centered Spaces

Bulletin Board #1

Bulletin Board #2

Student Seating

Evergreen Spaces

Setting Routines in a Yearbook Class: Practical Solutions for Common Challenges

No More 'IDK': Effective Strategies for Teaching Poetry in Secondary ELA

Old-Fashioned Test Prep That Works: A Proven Approach for Middle and High School English